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2024 W. Main Street, Suite A200
Durham, NC 27705-4667
Tel: (919) 668-4551
Fax: (919) 668-9198
info@nescent.org

The following information is an overview of your travel plans for your trip to NESCent.  Please also see our NSF/NESCent Travel Policies section.

Hotel Arrangements:

You will be staying at the Millennium Hotel in Durham, (2800 Campus Walk Avenue, Durham, NC  27705, telephone: (919) 383-8575).

NESCent will arrange your hotel reservations.  Contact Jeff Sturkey at NESCent via email jeff.sturkey@duke.edu or 919-668-4545 to make any changes to your room reservations.  The rooms will be directly billed to NESCent.  We will pay for your room, while you will be responsible for all other incidental room charges, including meals you might charge to your room.  If you are bringing a roommate, there will be an additional charge of $20.00 per person per night payable to the Millennium Hotel.

 

Travel Arrangements:

Please contact our travel agent, Mark Eide, as soon as possible to arrange your airline travel.  Please note that as a condition of your invitation to participate in NESCent meetings, we ask that your travel plans be ticketed no less than 21 days in advance of your meeting.  In addition, our travel agent has been instructed to search for lower-cost airfares for all attendees. 

NESCent cannot guarantee the reimbursement of any non-NESCent travel agent travel arrangements.  Attendees wishing to make their own travel plans should seek approval prior to making any financial commitments on their part.

Your early selection of flights will provide you the widest choices.  In addition, please note that the National Science Foundation requires that we use U.S. air carriers and coach class.

Your airfare will be directly billed to NESCENT.  Although we have provided the travel agency with your names, we ask that you contact Mark.  His contact information is:

 

Mark Eide (although other agents at the firm can assist you as well)

Gale Gentry Travel

Telephone:  919-787-2511  ext. 215                            Toll Free Telephone:  800-633-9350

Email:  mark@galegentrytravel.com

Arrival at Raleigh/Durham International Airport (RDU):

We suggest using the Millennium Hotel airport shuttle service.  This shuttle will be directly billed to NESCent.  When you arrive at RDU, please call the Millennium Hotel via the display of hotels at the Baggage claim area.  You may pick up the receiver and push the appropriate button for the Millennium Hotel, or you may call the Millennium at (919) 383-8575.  Please tell the attendant that you have a reservation and wish to be picked up at the RDU airport.  The hotel is approximately 20 minutes away.  Any ground transportation questions arising immediately after arrival can be answered at the RDU Information Desk near the Baggage Claim area.

Getting to NESCent:

We will also coordinate daily shuttle service between the hotel and the NESCent office for your meeting.

Meal Arrangements:

            For Non-Duke University Employees:  We will be basing your meal reimbursement on the GSA Federal per diem rates.  This includes 75% per diem reimbursement on your arrival and departure days.  A major advantage of this system is that you are not required to keep or furnish NESCent with any meal receipts.  This system also offers significant flexibility in your choices of cuisine and meal times.  After the meeting, NESCent will process reimbursements which will be mailed within approximately 45 days.  Duke University policy dictates that these reimbursements must be sent to your home address.  You will be asked to complete a home address form and return it to NESCent prior to your arrival.

            For Duke University Employees:  Duke University faculty and staff must furnish original receipts for meals and, if possible, use a Duke Procurement Card to purchase meals.

Important Information for Non-U.S. Citizens

We would appreciate you letting us know if you are not a US citizen.  If you will be arriving from outside the United States, we will provide you with a formal letter of invitation from NESCent briefly outlining the purpose of your visit.  This letter may be required during your travel to the US, and we encourage you to keep a copy with you.  Please send via email your office mailing address so that we can send the formal letter of invitation. 

For all non-US citizens we will need to make a copy of your passport and I-94 and/or visa waiver during your visit.   You must meet with a NESCent staff member for photo-copying and completion of Duke University and NESCent International Guest forms.  This includes citizens of other countries already in the US.  We cannot process your expense reimbursements without this documentation.

Web sites with Federal and NSF Travel Policies:

  1. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Circular A-21, #53 Travel Costs - http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a021/a21_2004.html
  1. NSF Grant Policy Manual, #05-131, #614 Travel Costs - http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/manuals/gpm05_131/gpm6.jsp#614
  1. U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Per Diem Rates - http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/

NSF/NESCent Travel Policy

Domestic Airfare:

  1. We are required by NSF to use US-based air-carriers and require coach-class tickets.  Occasionally, there are situations where US carriers are not available.  We address these on a case-by-case basis. 
  2. There are rare occasions where an attendee may request an exemption to coach-class travel for medical reasons.  These are addressed on a case-by-case basis and may require a written statement from the attendee’s physician for full consideration.  This is a NSF policy.
  3. NESCent expects all participants to select lower cost, 21-day advance purchase tickets through NESCent’s selected travel agent.  We will provide all attendees our travel agent’s name, email address, toll-free telephone number and related contact information, and ask them to contact our agent. 
  4. All flight arrangements should be made through a NESCent travel agent.  Once attendees have made their travel plans and their tickets have been purchased, it will be the responsibility of the attendee to pay for any non-emergency ticket changes.  Emergency ticket changes (such as family, or medical issues, etc.) are addressed upon a case-by-case basis and may not be approved or paid for by NESCent.
  5. Although cancelled tickets are usually in the name of the attendee, NESCent hopes that the attendee will be able to use the canceled ticket a for a future NESCent activity.

International Airfare:

  1. The expectations for international airfare include the expectations for domestic airfare.
  2. NSF will require justification regarding the invitation of foreign visitors rather than US scientists.  We recognize that such participants are valuable contributors to the scientific discussion and upon receiving your justifications, we will fund such participants. 
  3. NSF has placed limitations on the kind of support NESCent can provide for foreign visitors.  Although NESCent can cover expenses incurred by international scientists once the visitor has arrived at NESCent, the NSF expects that inquires be made of prospective participants from developed countries to determine if they have explored local (foreign) sources to support travel expenses.  If no alternative funding is available and certified by the group leader, NESCent can provide transportation funding. 

Ground transportation:

  1. Attendees may choose to drive to their meeting at NESCent.  In these cases and at NESCent’s discretion, NESCent may choose to offer the attendee reimbursement equal to the GSA mileage rate for the round-trip drive or a 21-day advance purchase air fare, whichever is lower.  Long distance driving reimbursements will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  2. NESCent will pay for shuttles to and from the Raleigh/Durham (RDU) airport to the selected hotel and NESCent, and strongly suggests using the selected hotel’s shuttle.
  3. NESCent will reimburse attendees for routine airport parking and related hometown ground-travel expenses with original receipts.
  4. NESCent will not usually pay for limousines nor car rentals.

Lodging and per diem rates:

  1. NESCent will select the hotel and will coordinate all reservations for the attendees.
  2. NESCent is limited by the US Government’s per diem rates in the lodging rates that it can pay. 
  3. NESCent will pay for attendees’ lodging for the dates of the meeting, usually including arriving the day prior to the meeting and departure the afternoon or evening of the last meeting day.  Return flights to some locations may require departure the day following the meeting’s adjournment.  Meeting coordinators can request an arrival or departure beyond this framework for themselves. 
  4. NESCent will communicate to your attendees the per diem rates for the meeting.
  5. NESCent may modify the per diem rates for meetings.

Meals and per diem rates: 

 

Non-Duke University Employees:

  1. NESCent is limited by the US Government’s per diem rates, in the meal rates it can pay.    NESCent may modify these rates.
  2. Due to Duke University policies, it is not possible to offer attendees a meal program of NESCent-paid meals and partial per diems.  We have found it more efficient to provide attendees with a post-meeting reimbursement for a pre-established GSA-related per diem rate.  Attendees (non-Duke attendees) are not required to provide NESCent with any meal receipts as part of this program.

Duke University Employees:  Duke University faculty and staff must furnish original receipts for meals and, if possible, use a Duke Procurement Card to purchase meals. They are not eligible for a per diem program in Durham.  Amounts for meals are based upon the US Government’s per diem rates.  These pre-established and meeting-specific rates will be communicated to Duke-related attendees prior to the meeting and will outline additional details and the process for reimbursing their expenses.

 

Reimbursements:

  1. Duke University requires original receipts for reimbursements.  Exceptions are meal receipts covered under the above per diem meal payment plan for non-Duke employees.
  2. Duke University requires that all reimbursements be mailed to an attendee’s home address.  Attendees will be requested to provide their home address prior to the meeting.
  3. Attendees will be given a letter outlining their reimbursement process, and a pre-addressed envelope for sending their original receipts to NESCent.
  4. Processing reimbursements will take approximately 45 days, assuming attendees immediately provide their original receipts and home address.  Individual situations may take longer.
  5. NESCent provides reimbursement in US dollars.  Attendees wishing to receive reimbursement in alternative currencies or wire transfers will be responsible for the payment (or deduction from reimbursement amounts) of all currency change fees.  Historically these fees have been $20 for alternative currencies and $45 for wire transfers.