海角社区

Professional Development Fund

[Information as of: Feb. 27, 2026]

All requests for reimbursement through the Professional Development Fund must be submitted through Workday Expenses.

Questions?听Please contact听pdf.science [at] mcgill.ca.

  1. Allocation amounts

  • Each eligible staff member is allocated听up to $750 annually. Eligible staff who do not use the full $750 in a given fiscal year may carry forward all, or any unused amount derived over two consecutive years, for a cumulative maximum of $1,500.
  • The $750 allocation is prorated in the first year of hire and in the year of departure according to the University Fiscal Year.
  • The Program is operated on the University鈥檚 Fiscal Year which is 01 May to 30 April.
  • Balances will be communicated by the Faculty Finance Office to departmental administrative managers for distribution three times per fiscal year: May 15, Nov 15, March 15.
  1. Eligibility

Eligible staff members hold one of the following active appointments during the relevant reference period at one of the following ranks:

  • Tenure-track or tenured Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professors;
    or
  • Tenure-track or tenured Assistant Librarians, Associate Librarians or Full Librarians;
    or
  • Ranked Contract Academic Staff (CAS) Faculty Lecturer, Senior Faculty Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor, if campus-based and full-听time salaried Assistant Professor (Special Category) are ineligible for the Program.

3. Balances

The balance of individual Professional Development Fund accounts for staff members in听the听Faculty of Science are maintained at the faculty-level. The list of balances is updated regularly and communicated by email on a quarterly basis. Note that the balances do not include any pending transactions (expense reports, MMP).

To access individual PDF balances, please contact听pdf.science [at] mcgill.ca.

4. Eligible Expenses

Professional development fund expenses must contribute to a staff member鈥檚 professional development. Examples of eligible expenses include:

  • Membership in scholarly societies
  • Membership in professional order or association, if required for the position held
  • Computer hardware and software in support of professional development or academic duties*
  • Registration for scholarly meetings, conferences, and seminars
  • Subscriptions to scholarly journals and purchases of scholarly books
  • Reimbursement related to publication fees, notably related to open access (e.g.,
  • article processing charges APCs, etc.)
  • Reimbursement of travel and/or accommodation for meetings, professional
  • conferences or seminars
  • Supplement to the Academic Laptop Program*

Exclusions

The Professional Development Fund does not support the purchase of:

  • Printers/scanners
  • Office supplies (including printer ink)
  • Office furniture
  • Networking devices (including, but not limited to, ethernet switches and cables, wireless adaptors, routers, modems, range extenders, and powerline adaptors)
  • Cell phones or cell phone plans
  • Final authority on the eligibility of expenses rests with the Provost鈥檚 Office.

5. How to request reimbursement through the Professional Development Fund

a. Out-of-pocket expenses->Workday Expenses

  • Please submit your request for reimbursement through Workday
  • Expenses and upload digital copies of receipts (and proof of payment if applicable).
  • Step-by-step Instructions can be found .
  • For Business Purpose, select Professional Development Fund
  • 听For Fund Number, enter 159348
  • For Activity Code, enter 000000
  • Your expense report will be directed to the Faculty Finance Team. For questions/issues, please contact听pdf.science [at] mcgill.ca.

b. To supplement Academic Laptop Program->MMP

Eligible academic staff may apply for an Academic Laptop by completing the Academic Laptop Program order form in the 海角社区 MarketPlace. Once submitted, the form will be reviewed and finalized by staff in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic).

To access the form:

  • Sign-into .
  • Select the Finance tab.
  • Select 海角社区 MarketPlace Entrance.
  • Click on your shopping profile. If you do not have one, you can create it.
  • Under the Forms menu, select the Academic Laptop Form.
  • Indicate in the form that you would like to charge a balance to your Faculty鈥檚 PDF fund.

*IMPORTANT NOTE:听In 2024, the Quebec government issued a decree mandating that all computers purchased for public bodies in Quebec be acquired under new province-wide contracts.听Hewlett Packard (HP) has been designated as the sole supplier of new computers and monitors, and IT solutions company MicroAge is the approved reseller of HP products under contract.听For more information about the government decree and how it affects you, see听FAQ听鈥撎齈rovince-Wide Computer Purchasing Requirements.

IMPORTANT听NOTE:听In February 2025, the Quebec government issued a directive restricting the use of public funds for purchases from online marketplaces without physical retail outlets in Canada, such as Amazon. This directive has since been reinforced by a governmental decree. To听comply with听the decree, University Operating Funds (1A), including the Professional Development Fund,听cannot be used to cover purchases from online marketplaces, including Amazon.

IMPORTANT NOTE:听Electronic equipment that is purchased in part or in full through the PDF Program is subject to the 海角社区 IT Asset Management Regulation and听must听be returned to the University upon the staff member's departure.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

How do I receive the reimbursement?

A reimbursement is made only for out-of-pocket expenses paid by the eligible staff member. As such, the amount reimbursed will be deposited directly into the staff member鈥檚 personal bank account (i.e., the account that is used by payroll). An email notification from Financial Services will be sent once the direct deposit has been made.

Reimbursements听cannot听be transferred to grants, special funds, FOAPALS and/or procurement cards.

Are original receipts required?

Please ensure that all receipts include the following information:

  • Identification of the supplier
  • Supplier's GST and QST numbers, where applicable
  • Identification of the buyer
  • Full description of what was purchased
  • How much was paid, along with proof of
  • payment indication (e.g., last four digits of the card used for payment)
  • For further information, please refer to听Procedures for Travel and Other Expenses (PR7 and PR8)

May I request a travel advance?

Reimbursement is made only for out-of-pocket expenses. Travel advances are not allowed, and cancellations will not be reimbursed.

When do I make my request?

All expense reports should be submitted听no later than听30 days听following date of travel or听no later than听90 days听following the date of purchase for non-travel expenses.

What if my total expenses are greater than my available PDF balance?

Submitted expense reports must be equal to, or less than, your available PDF balance to avoid delays in processing.
To complete the expense report accurately,听please
use the 鈥溾澨齠unction (Instruction linked) to apply other eligible funds for any portion that exceeds your balance, or mark the excess as a personal expense.

Regulation about Cloud and AI tools

Please听refer to:

Back to top