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

1. Allocation amounts

• Each eligible staff member is allocated 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’s 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- 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 the 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 pdf.science [at] mcgill.ca.

4. Eligible Expenses

Professional development fund expenses must contribute to a staff member’s 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’s 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 here.
• For Business Purpose, select Professional Development Fund
•  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 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 McGill 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 Minerva.
• Select the Finance tab.
• Select McGill 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’s PDF fund.
   

*IMPORTANT NOTE: 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. 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. For more information about the government decree and how it affects you, see FAQ – Province-Wide Computer Purchasing Requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 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 comply with the decree, University Operating Funds (1A), including the Professional Development Fund, cannot be used to cover purchases from online marketplaces, including Amazon.

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

6. Frequently Asked Questions