PAF FAQ

Please send an email over to paf@apsc.ubc.ca, as APSC Finance is unable to change this information. Make sure to include the PAF account number(s) as well.

Yes, applicants are encouraged to come clarify their projects when their applications are being reviewed. You will receive an email notification of what timeslot to attend.

We wish! Unfortunately, they are completely different accounts, and we can’t align those systems.

If it’s not covered under Claim Your Funding, address inquiries to finance@apsc.ubc.ca. The PAF support staff do not have any control over the reimbursement process. Remember all claims must be filed before August 31^st of the year of funding!

If needed, the PAF Governance Committee will scale the PAF application pools (projects term 1, projects term 2) to match their allocated envelops. Generally, this is more heavily weighted towards term 1. Travel and Conferences applications will be funded on a rolling basis until the pool runs out. Excess funding will be rolled over to the next PAF fiscal year and funding envelops will be adjusted to reflect the increase in available funding.

Address all inquiries to paf@apsc.ubc.ca.

A distinct physical product. You can apply separately as long as your project is not going to come together as part of a final larger piece. For example, a brake system and chassis are not two separate projects, but 2 cars are separate projects. Also subsystems of a car are not considered separate if they are towards building the same car.

All design projects should either be for competition use and/or stop at the prototyping stage and all physical projects are UBC property. Students cannot donate, sell, distribute, lease, or lend prototypes to third parties.

During reviews, the PAF Funding Committee looks at your project description and details to understand how your funding would be used. When putting down details about your project, please ensure that your project description, timeline, income and expenses are up to date and consistent with one another.

You can submit separate project applications for each generation.

You can ask for PAF funding separately for each individual project your team is working on regardless of being on the same team. The five application cap applies to the whole team.

You should create an over-arching budget for your project. You can have sub-categories indicating the sub-teams to help provide clarity for your structure.

If you don’t know the funding amount you’ll receive from a source, you can put an estimate and make a note. Keep in mind that PAF can’t be the only funding source for your project.

Make a detailed list of your expenses so that PAF Funding Committee has a better idea of how you’ll be spending your funding, and what your project entails. Make sure you’ve checked alternative resources before putting in a capital purchase or other items in your budget. For example, if there’s a resource UBC provides students for free, explain why that is not an option for your group if you’re going to include the item in your budget.

Yes. We bundle them so that the Funding Committee considers the teams’ individual project proposals together. The assessment of each project application will be according to the PAF Mandate but the Committee will check for double-budgeted items and overlaps in content.

They should be added to the roster for each project application they are working towards.

Split based on percentage use of that tool on each project and describe your rationale for that division in the budget notes.

You should be adding travel as part of your regular application. Teams are eligible for $2,500 of travel funding for their projects. You may also choose to apply to the Travel & Conferences category of PAF, but this will mean waiving the opportunity for your team to receive Design Projects funding. Travel itself does not count as an independent design project. 

Larger projects do get more money, they are the ones who are mostly eligible for the largest category. However, the percentage of PAF of total budget may be less – it is anticipated that larger, more established groups are able to acquire more external funding. Our funding mechanism has been chosen based on analysis of previous years of PAF funding allocations to balance the needs of the various groups that apply to PAF.

PAF funding should not be spent on administrative or marketing costs. As per the PAF Mandate, please use your general funding to cover these costs.

We aim to review T+C applications every 2-3 weeks once a complete application is received. Note that approval and reimbursement are separate processes.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to do so. Please email finance@apsc.ubc.ca with your PAF application number and details about your situation.

You may apply, but the funding will need to be taken out of the correct September-August fiscal cycle and follow the assessment criteria set for that year. This means it may take us a little longer to assess your application, as we review the PAF Mandate each year.