HSPBA: Applications for the 2025-26 $400k HSPBA Professional Development Fund will open soon

Watch for our upcoming email!

We are pleased to announce that applications for the 2025-2026 $400k HSPBA Professional Development Fund will be opening soon. This initiative supports HSA members covered by the Health Science Professionals (HSPBA) collective agreement who are pursuing professional development activities.

Funding is available for eligible expenses incurred between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. This fund was negotiated as part of the 2025-2029 HSPBA collective agreement, and allocates $400,000 for the 2025-2026 term to support HSPBA members in enhancing their skills and knowledge.

“I encourage members to apply to this fund to support their professional development, as I know that HSA members are committed to keeping their skills and knowledge current in an ever-advancing modern health care team,” said HSA President Sarah Kooner.

Funding Details:

• Eligible Expenses: Tuition, fees, books, and travel expenses related to courses, programs, or conferences up to a maximum of $1,000 per member. Travel and accommodation expenses are limited to Canada or the United States, with a maximum reimbursement of $250.
   
• Application Process: Applications are accepted for courses, conferences, or workshops starting between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. They will be processed in the order received until funds are exhausted.
   
• Program Requirements: The education or training must be directly relevant to professional development within a health science discipline practiced within the public health care system and should not be intended for personal development purposes.

Member responsibilities for for application completeness:

You will be responsible for providing the following information as part of the application process. To help make the application process easy, you may want to begin to gather this information now.

• You must use your personal email address to submit your application. Please ensure that your contact information is up to date before you apply by using the member contact update form on the HSA website or by reaching out by email to info@hsabc.org.
   
• You will be required to provide a detailed program breakdown in the space provided on the application. This includes course specifics (i.e., course number, course name, start/finish date, cost, etc.) for each course.
   
• Before you apply, please perform any needed exchange rate calculations so that you can list all amounts in Canadian funds. Note that the amount entered (up to the funding cap) will be the total amount approved.

Details on how to apply, answers to frequently asked questions, and funding guidelines are all coming soon and will be emailed out to all members!