Research and development in the health field

Research and development (R&D) in the health field is gaining importance in Canada, accounting for nearly one-quarter of total spending on R&D in 2005, according to preliminary figures.

Gross spending on health R&D amounted to an estimated $6.0 billion last year, 6.8%, or $379 million higher than the level in 2004.

R&D on health accounted for 23% of gross domestic spending on R&D in 2005. A decade earlier, it represented only 16%.

The higher education sector accounted by far for the lion's share of R&D spending on health, about 62%.

This sector, which includes universities and teaching hospitals, performed an estimated $3.7 billion of R&D on health, up 10.0% from 2004 and more than double the level from 1995. The business enterprise sector performed more than $2.0 billion, up 2.6%.

The largest funders of R&D spending on health were the business enterprise sector and the higher education sector, which contributed about $1.6 billion each in 2005. They were followed by the federal government sector, which contributed $1.2 billion.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 4201, 4204, 4208, 4209, 4210 and 4212.

The service bulletin Science Statistics: Estimates of Total Spending on Research and Development in the Health Field in Canada, 1988 to 2005, Vol. 30, no. 3 (88-001-XIE, free) is now available. To obtain a copy, go to the Our products and services page of our website.

For more information, or to enquire about the methods, concepts or data quality of this release, contact Janet Thompson, (613-951-2580; janet.thompson@statcan.gc.ca) or Gisèle Bellefeuille (613-951-7113; gisele.bellefeuille@statcan.gc.ca), Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division.