About the fund
Established in 1996, the Innovative Project Fund (IPF) is an annual fund provided by UBC and administered by the Office of the Vice-President, Students in partnership with the Alma Mater Society (AMS).
The fund supports the development of programs, projects, and ideas that enrich and enhance the university experience for students.
Eligibility requirements
Applications are accepted from the following:
- Clubs affiliated with the Alma Mater Society (AMS)
- Graduate Student Society (GSS)
- UBC faculties
- Other officially recognized UBC organizations
- Campus community groups led by student organizations
Applications must be submitted by current UBC students as project leads. Collaboration with faculty and staff is highly encouraged. All projects should prioritize student involvement and focus on student-led initiatives.
Proposal Review Process
Proposals are reviewed by a 6-member committee, which includes:
- Three student representatives, appointed by AMS
- Two staff representatives, appointed by the Office of the Vice-President, Students
- One faculty member, appointed by the Office of the Vice-President, Students
Selection criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
Innovation
Projects must enrich and enhance the University for students and be highly innovative. This may include projects which solve pressing issues, provide new ways of doing things, or propose new ideas that haven’t been tried at UBC before.
Additionally, IPF will support projects which demonstrate a clear connection between the innovative idea and an identified gap, need, or opportunity on campus.
Benefit
Projects must benefit a significant number of students. Projects need to provide evidence of the reach they will have to students, beyond those directly involved in the project, and demonstrate a compelling need for the project through student survey data or other forms of gap analysis.
Visibility
Projects must be visible to the campus community. Projects need to be open, transparent, and accessible to campus and allow for broad engagement from the full community.
Student involvement
Projects must involve students in the design, development, creation, and implementation in significant and meaningful ways. For all faculty and staff proposed projects, there needs to be a clear and compelling rationale provided for the ways in which students are involved in leading and contributing to the project.
Funding limits
- The maximum funding is $3,500 per project per year. Applicants can submit proposals for the same project for a maximum of 3 consecutive years and can receive a maximum of $10,500 over those years. If your project lasts more than 1 year, you will need to reapply for funding each year.
- Funds must be used within a 12-month period and cannot be carried forward without permission from the Committee. Funds that are unspent each year must be returned to the Office of the Vice-President, Students.
- Applicants who are awarded funding must provide a status report and financial statement twice: halfway through the project implementation and after the project or initiative has been completed. A detailed reporting schedule will be outlined in the funding letter.
- Any equipment purchased with IPF funds becomes property of UBC. Any funds from the sale of equipment will be returned to the IPF.
Additional limits
The following types of projects have additional limits as follows.
Applications for projects where individuals are sent abroad must include an explanation of how the project will substantially enrich and enhance the University for students.
Funds cannot be used to support learning and personal development for one or a small group of individuals.
The IPF does not fund travel costs or airfare.
The IPF does not fund conference attendance for students. The IPF may provide funding to create a new annual conference for students and may fund new innovative projects that occur within an already existing annual conference.
The IPF does not fund sporting or design teams involved in competitions with other universities and/or non-UBC organizations and which involve relatively few UBC students. There are other sources of funding available for competitions via the AMS and UBC.
The IPF does not fund honoraria or salaries for project members or students.
The IPF does not fund projects or activities that are in any way a part or extension of the academic curriculum at UBC, such as field trips or student attendance at academic conferences.
How to apply
Application timeline
Applications open in Winter Term 1 and Winter Term 2 each year.
Funding decisions will be communicated to applicants within 6 to 8 weeks of each application deadline.
Submit your application
Applications are open from Wed, Mar 4 to Tues, Apr 7, 2026 (11:59 pm PT).
- Review the application instructions (pdf) and create your online account using your CWL.
- Submit your application online.
Previously funded projects
The Fund has supported many projects, programs, and initiatives, including:
- UX Open, a UX/UI design competition where students collaborate to develop digital products and present their work to industry professionals for feedback and prizes
- Product Sprint, an immersive program organized by the UBC Product Management Club that gives students hands-on experience developing and launching product ideas
- Engineering design teams such as UBC Sailbot, where students design and test fully autonomous sailboats used to advance oceanic research
- Innovation Onboard, a cross-disciplinary program that brings together science, engineering, and business students to develop startup ideas through workshops, mentorship, and a final pitch competition
- Creative and socially engaged projects like the Embodied Research Project, which explores identity, community, and belonging through experimental theatre and public performances
- UBC Astronomy Club, which expanded its stargazing events by upgrading telescope equipment, allowing more students to observe celestial objects at campus observation nights
If you have questions
Email vpsassist@mail.ubc.ca if you experience any issues throughout the application or if you have questions about the fund.