Analysis

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For the purpose of this analysis, the participating provincial governments and provincial research organizations (PROs) are treated separately.

Total S&T spending in the participating provincial governments in 2009/2010 was $1,899 million. Of the six participating provincial governments, only Manitoba reported an increase in total S&T spending in 2009/2010, while Saskatchewan alone reported an increase in S&T intramural expenditures (Table 3-2).

Scientific and technological (S&T) spending

The provinces allocate their S&T expenditures by socio-economic objectives. These objectives are:

1. Exploration and exploitation of the earth
2. Infrastructure and general planning of land use
3. Control and care of the environment
4. Protection and improvement of human health
5. Production, distribution and rational utilization of energy
6. Agriculture production and technology
7. Fishing
8. Forestry
9. Industrial production and technology
10. Social structures and relationships
11. Exploration and exploitation of space
12. Basic research
13. Other civil research

Examples of socio-economic objectives that are provided to survey respondents are listed in the 'Data quality, concepts and methodology' section at the end of this bulletin.

In 2009/2010, total expenditures on S&T by the six provincial governments varied by socio-economic objectives. The top four objectives of the combined participating provinces were: protection and improvement of human health ($356.2 million); basic research ($281.3 million); control and care of the environment ($255.9 million); and social structures and relationships ($230.4 million) (Table 5).

The provincial governments of Ontario ($200.8 million) and Alberta ($114.9 million) concentrated the majority of their S&T spending on 'protection and improvement of human health'. 'Infrastructure and general planning for land use' including transportation and telecommunication systems was the primary focus of S&T spending in 2009/2010 for the provincial governments of Saskatchewan ($63.2 million), Manitoba ($23.8 million) and New Brunswick ($23.1 million). British Columbia ($57.5 million) indicated 'basic research' as its primary objective (Table 5).

Provincial government S&T spending continued to be concentrated in the natural sciences and engineering. Four-fifths of total S&T spending went to these disciplines, comprised of scientific activities related to natural, physical, medical, health and agricultural sciences, engineering and engineering technology.

Total S&T spending in the natural sciences and engineering for all six participating provinces in 2009/2010 amounted to $1,544 million. Ontario accounted for $617.3 million, while Alberta totalled $540.1 million. Together these two provinces represented 75% of total S&T expenditures in the natural sciences and engineering for 2009/2010 (Table 3-5).

The remaining 19% of S&T spending was directed towards activities in the social sciences (such as economics, geography, law, political science, psychology and urban and rural planning) and in the humanities (including history, communications and media studies).

S&T spending in the social sciences and humanities for all six participating provinces in 2009/2010 totalled $355.3 million. Ontario accounted for $160.3 million, almost half of the reported total spending. However, only New Brunswick reported increased S&T spending in the social science and humanities in 2009/2010 (Table 3-9).

Research and development (R&D) spending

Total research and development (R&D) expenditures for the seven participating provinces (New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) declined by 3.8% from 2008/2009 to $1.7 billion in 2009/2010. The leading provinces for total R&D expenditures in 2009/2010 continued to be Quebec ($584.8 million), Ontario ($429.0 million) and Alberta ($413.1 million) (Table 3-1).

Intramural (in-house) R&D expenditures for the seven provincial governments totalled $387 million in 2009/2010, up 7.8% from 2008/2009. Extramural R&D expenditures of $1.3 billion in 2009/2010 were down 6.8% from 2008/2009. Extramural R&D spending was directed mainly to the higher education sector ($943.6 million, or 71%) followed by business enterprises ($174.8 million, or 13%) (Table 3-2).

The provinces that led intramural (in-house) R&D spending in 2009/2010 were Alberta ($137.8 million), followed by Quebec ($87.5 million) and Saskatchewan ($65.8 million) (Table 3-2).

Provincial government research and development expenditures in the natural sciences and engineering are available for New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. At $136.5 million in 2009/2010, Alberta led all participating provinces in intramural R&D spending in the natural sciences and engineering (Table 3-5).

For 2009/2010 in the natural sciences and engineering, Quebec funded the highest amount of R&D to the business enterprise sector, at $66.5 million (Table 3-5).

Quebec reported $254.0 million in funding for natural sciences and engineering R&D expenditures in the higher education sector in 2009/2010, followed by Ontario at $245.6 million and Alberta at $181.1 million (Table 3-5).

The total provincial government's research and development expenditures in the social sciences and humanities were $279.4 million in 2009/2010. Quebec accounted for more than half, or $167.6 million (and led intramural R&D spending in the social science and humanities with $22.1 million) (Table 3-9).

Ontario followed with $62.5 million. Together Quebec and Ontario accounted for more than 80% of total R&D in the social sciences and humanities. For both provinces, the majority of R&D funding went to higher education sector, at $129.7 million and $42.2 million respectively.

In 2009/2010, total extramural R&D spending in the social sciences and humanities was $241.3 million, down 18.3% from 2008/2009. Spending was directed mainly to the higher education sector (74% or $177.4 million) followed by hospitals and health organizations (12% or $29.6 million) (Table 3-9).

Science and technology expenditures in the social sciences and humanities were reported at $355.3 for the six participating provinces in 2009/2010. Ontario led with $160.3 million, followed by Alberta ($63.9 million) and British Columbia ($43.8 million). The majority of funds went to the higher education sector in Ontario and Manitoba. In British Columbia, the highest-funded sector was hospitals and health organizations. New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta reported the largest funding to the other sector category (Table 3-9).

Research and development (R&D) personnel

Research and development (R&D) personnel in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia totalled 2,627 in 2009/2010,down 2.7% from 2008/2009. Over 50% full-time equivalents were found in the scientific and professional category (Table 12-2).

In 2009/2010, Alberta reported 811 full-time equivalents (FTEs) to R&D activities, of which the highest amount were found in the scientific and professional category at 313 FTEs. Quebec followed with 785 FTEs working on R&D activities. At 469, Quebec reported more full-time equivalent scientists and professionals engaged in research and development than any other province. Ontario reported 497 full-time equivalents, with 285 scientists and professionals (Table 12-2).

Provincial research organizations (PRO) scientific and technological (S&T) spending

In 2009/2010 total expenditures of the seven provincial research organizations on scientific and technologic activities totalled $92.7 million, a decrease of 7% from the previous year.

Fifty-three percent of total PRO S&T expenditures occurred in Saskatchewan, whose Saskatchewan Research Council accounted for $49.2 million of the $92.7 million total. On the other hand the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec reported spending $25.2 million. Together these two leading PRO's accounted for over 80% of the S&T expenditures in 2009/2010 (Table 14).

The Saskatchewan Research Council reported an increase of 34% ($12.5M) in S&T expenditures, largely masking the 78% decrease (-$13.8M) reported by the Aurora Research Institute which completed a large three-year R&D contract (Table 14).

The provincial research organizations located in New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories spent $35.5 million on R&D. Similar to S&T, this is a 7% decrease from the previous year.

Again similar to S&T, the Saskatchewan Research Council accounted for the majority (57%) of the total R&D expenditures in 2009/2010 at $20.3 million, and the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec, was second with reported spending of $11.1 million (Table 14).