The Travel and Professional Development Reimbursement Fund for Research Associates covers expenses related to travel and professional development activities.

The maximum reimbursement issued per Research Associate is $2,000 from April 1 , 2010 to March 31, 2012. Applications are accepted twice per year during April and October, until the final day of those months.

Administrative Guidelines

All Research Associates and Research Associate IIs (RAs) in paid positions at both UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses are eligible to apply.  Each RA is entitled to reimbursement of up to $2,000 for the period between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2012.

Expenses must be related to professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, performance or career progression of a Research Associate's work at the University. It may not be used for any other purpose.

Eligible expenses may include:

• Travel and associated expenses related to conferences, workshops, seminars, symposia, and other similar professional activities (travel expenses are as per UBC travel policy 83);
• Registration fees and other expenses for meetings of professional organizations, conferences, workshops, seminars, symposia and other similar professional activities;
• Membership fees for professional organizations; or
• Course fees and books.*

*Books are the only goods reimbursable under this program. This program is mainly intended for travel and professional development activities.

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Non-professional development travel (i.e. personal travel);
• Non-professional development fees for registration, membership or courses (i.e. for recreational or personal interest purposes);
• Subscriptions for communicative devices (e.g. cell phones, PDAs, etc.), internet access fees;
• Courier fees; or
• Significant fixed assets such as laptops, computers, digital cameras etc.

No claim is allowed before the expense is incurred - please submit only after expense has occurred. This program is not intended to substitute for funds currently spent on development of Research Associates.

How to Apply

Instructions for applying are provided on the application form. Applications will be received and processed semi-annually by the Office of the VP Research & International at the UBC Vancouver campus. Applications received between April 1-30 will be processed in May. Applications received between October 1-31 will be processed in November.

Funds will be reimbursed via UBC Financial Services subsequent to the submission of the completed application form and the supporting original receipts.  Credit card statements cannot be used as receipts.

Applications must be made by individuals and not by their department.  However, we may reimburse the department for expenses paid on behalf of individuals.  Please check the box on the application form and provide your departmental speedchart.

Where there is a disagreement with respect to the eligibility of an expense, the matter shall be referred to the Vice President Research & International or a designate who is empowered to decide upon the eligibility of the claimed in his or her absolute discretion. This decision shall be final and binding on all parties and there shall be no further appeal.

Please contact the VP Research & International Office at (604) 822-3090 with any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to include with the application form?

Fill out the application form and get it signed by your department head or supervisor. Please attach original copies of all receipts that indicate your name, payment description, payment amount and form of payment. Credit card statements are not accepted as receipts, but are required if you are including any foreign currency expenses that were charged to your credit card. We also recommend submitting your boarding passes with your application, although it is not required, as long as you have an official itinerary, electronic ticket or receipt that originated from the airline.

The only time you may submit copies of receipts is when your department has already reimbursed you for your expenses.  Given your departmental speedchart, we may reimburse your department through the issue of a Journal Voucher (JV).

How do I know whether my application has been accepted and when can I expect payment?

If you are an RA and have filled out the application form properly with all original receipts attached, and the expenses you are claiming for are all eligible, the application should be accepted without problem.  If there is a problem with your application, our office will contact you to try best to resolve it.

For personal payments, the funds will be electronically transferred to your UBC salary account; funds may also be issued as a cheque made out to your name.  It usually takes around 3 to 4 weeks.

For departmental transfers via JV, you will not receive notification when payment is processed.  It will show up as a credit on your department’s general ledger automatically.  The VPRI Office may assist in tracking the status of the payment, but only your department’s finance administrator has access to the general ledger.  It usually takes around 3 to 4 weeks.

May I apply to this program more than once?

Yes, you may apply to this program as many times as you like up to the maximum of $2,000 during the current 2-year period (April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012).

The program is renewed every period.  This means you are eligible to access the funding again even if you have applied during the previous period.

May I carry forward the amount I did not use up from the previous period?

No, you may not carry forward any leftover amount you did not use up in the previous period.  The program is renewed every period, so Research Associates may only use up to $2,000 during April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012.

What do I do with expenses in foreign currencies?

Fill in your application form and include original receipts as usual.  The VPRI Office will use the interbank currency exchange rate on the date of the transaction(s).  Alternatively, you may attach a credit card statement of your expenses and our office will use the conversion rate charged by your bank or financial institution.

Will this program continue past March 2012?

This program is dependent on provincial funding.  At this point, it is not known whether the program will continue past the March 31, 2012. Future changes to the program will be communicated when known.

May I combine personal travel with professional travel?

The program’s travel policy conforms with UBC’s travel policy #83, excerpted here:

6.2. Combining University Travel With Personal Travel

6.2.1. Travellers may combine university travel and personal travel with the approval of their administrative head of unit. Prior to travellers scheduling indirect routes (interrupting business portions of a trip for personal travel or vice versa), the administrative head and the traveller must agree on a fair allocation of expenses for the trip. In no event will the university’s portion of expenses exceed what would have been charged had the personal travel interruption not occurred.