MRC Hospitality

The University financial procedures should be referred to when considering hospitality arrangements. Please be aware the University states hospitality should take place on campus wherever possible at a University Food and Drink Outlet, including the Conference centres Scarman and Radcliffe, which can be booked by the MRC using a cost code. All other on campus outlets (including Benugo, Jidong, Ganapathi Catering, Panda Mami and Pret A Manger) may be used but cannot be booked using a cost code and costs will need to be claimed back using Concur.

For off-campus hospitality, approvals may be needed beforehand. Please liaise with the MRC should you have any queries. There is further information below.

A. Off-campus meals for Seminar Speakers (including, MIR@W...)

Off-campus meals are permitted subject to a departmental limit of up to £40 per person (intended for a two course meal plus a glas of wine/beer or a soft drink). The maximum staff:speaker ratio is 3:1. Please note that going off campus requires HOD approval in advance of the event.

B. Off-campus meals for Meetings

Expenditure for off-campus meals for events such as grant-funded research meetings, visits of external examiners, .... can be claimed if the total expenditure is up to £240.

C. For ALL Off-campus meals - NB. The rules are made so that we follow UK Govt rules applying to all HE institutions.

Meals should take place on campus wherever possible. Please note that going off campus requires HOD approval in advance of the event.
The maximum claim is £240.
The 1:3 rule applies to all claims for off-campus meals i.e. maximum of 3 Warwick people (staff or graduate students) per visitor.

D. Accommodation

Accommodation is in high demand so you should contact the MRC as early as possible to ask them to reserve accommodation.
Accommodation should be booked on campus in one of the Conference Centres where possible. This can be booked by the MRC using a cost code.
For seminar speakers, MRC can normally cover 1 night on campus for UK speakers and 2 nights for overseas speakers.
If speakers need to stay off-campus (this is exceptional, for example when needing to be close to the airport for an early flight) then please liaise with the MRC who will be able to help you.
Below is a list of approximate costs for bed and breakfast accommodation at Scarman or Radcliffe. This will help in preparation for budgets or grant applications. B&B prices below are a general guide, all prices are plus VAT per room per night – including Full English breakfast and car parking -

- Friday through Sunday nights £80.00 plus VAT
- Monday and Thursday nights £85.00 plus VAT
- Tuesday and Wednesday nights £120.00 plus VAT

E. Travel expenses

For seminar speakers the MRC will contribute towards travelling expenses up to £150 for speakers travelling from the UK and up to £250 for speakers travelling from Scotland or from outside the UK. All travel must be economy.
For Research Visitors, please refer to your Grant conditions for guidelines.
For queries regarding travel expenses for visitors please contact the MRC, who will be happy to help.
Please see our Visitors pages for full details of how your visitor can claim their expenses.

To note: All expense claims are ultimately processed via the University Finance Office and have to adhere to the Financial Regulations. This includes expenses charged against department budgets such as the seminar/colloquia budget as well as research project grants, etc; the Department has to operate within University rules in all cases.

Venues / Outlets:

Please refer to the website for details of the on campus food and drink outlets available for use.

Scarman and Radcliffe conference centres are a popular choice and can be booked by the MRC using a cost code.

Should you have any queries then the staff in the MRC will be happy to help you.