StatsCan to stop issuing separate reports on provincial research organizations

Statistics Canada is pulling the plug on its annual service bulletin detailing the expenditures of provincial research organizations (PROs), reflecting their dwindling number and shifts in how provincial governments engage in R&D and other scientific activities. The decision to halt separate data reporting for PROs was taken following the reclassification in 2001 of the Alberta Research Council (ARC). Its status changed from PRO to not-for-profit business under the jurisdiction of the Alberta Science and Research Authority.

With ARC removed from the mix, total PRO expenditures plummeted 52% between 2000 and 2001, from $145.1 million to $69.6 million. The final StatsCan report on PROs tracks just seven PROs, using data from four provinces and the three northern territories supporting organizations that meet the PRO criteria (see chart).

ARC’s outlays on scientific activities have been rising rapidly in recent years, increasing 62.4% from 1997 to 2000, the last year StatsCan included its data. ARC expenditures will now be captured in the survey entitled Alberta Provincial Government Scientific Activities. R&D activity by the remaining PROs will be folded into data StatsCan collects on gross expenditures on R&D (GERD).

That leaves the Centre de recherche industrielle du Quebec (CRIQ) as Canada’s largest PRO. With a scientific and engineering staff of 121 and expenditures of $35.7 million in 2001, CRIQ accounts for 51.2% of the 2001 total for all PROs. The Saskatchewan Research Council ranks second with 2001 expenditures of $20.8 million, followed by the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council with $8.2 million and Manitoba’s Industrial Technology Centre with $3.2 million.

The scientific activities carried out by the PROs include scientific research, development or improvements of products and processes, technical services and administration and management.

FUNDING SOURCES

Provincial funding of PROs has declined over the past 10 years but still accounted for the single largest source of funding until 2001. In that year they contributed 33.3% of all funding to their respective PROs, but were surpassed by industry contracts which provided 39.3%. It is only the second time between 1992 and 2001 that industry funding exceeded provincial funds.

Contracts also account for a significant amount of PRO funding, but most of those contracts were undertaken by ARC. When ARC was removed from the tally, contracts dropped from 21.5% of the total in 2000 to just 7.6% in 2001, the lowest share since 1994.

Secondary industries remain the single largest application area for PRO activities, although their share has declined substantially in recent years. In 1995, secondary industries accounted for 59.1% of applications but dropped to 41.9% in 2000 and 41.2% in 2001. Development and improvement of products or processes and analysis and testing are the main types of scientific activity undertaken by PROs. Scientific research accounted for just 3.7% of the 2002 total, compared to 16.7% in 1996.

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