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Business enterprises in Canada anticipate spending $15.4 billion to perform research and development (R&D) in 2014, down 0.9% from 2013. Recovery of industrial R&D spending since the 2008 economic downturn remains slow. Since 2008, the only year to year increase in industrial R&D spending occurred in 2011.
In 2014 current R&D spending will be $14.3 billion. Spending on capital R&D, such as machinery, equipment, land and buildings, is anticipated to account for 7% of total industrial R&D spending at $1.1 billion in 2014.
Canadian industrial R&D spending is concentrated with the top 100 business enterprises anticipated to comprise one-half (50%) of all industrial R&D performance in 2014.
The propensity of businesses to perform R&D varies by sector. Research and development was performed by 2.3% of all enterprises in Canada with one or more employees in 2011, the most recent year for which these data are available.
In manufacturing, aerospace products and parts manufacturing ($1.4 billion) and communications equipment manufacturing ($1.3 billion) will lead manufacturing R&D spending, which is expected to total $7.1 billion in 2014, down 0.4% from 2013.
In services, scientific research and development services ($1.9 billion); computer systems design and related services ($1.3 billion); wholesale trade ($1.2 billion); and information and cultural industries ($1.2 billion) will lead R&D spending. R&D spending in services is expected to reach $6.9 billion in 2014, down 0.5% from 2013.
R&D by businesses in oil and gas extraction has increased, from $88 million, in 1999, to $941 million, anticipated for 2014. Similarly, R&D by businesses in scientific research and development services also has increased from $264 million to $1.9 billion over the same period.
Businesses in Canada continued to finance most of their R&D activities through business operations, with internal corporate funds covering $13.8 billion (or 85%) of all industrial R&D spending in 2012.
In 2012, the most recent year for which these data are available, engineering and technology R&D accounted for $12.7 billion (79%) of industrial R&D performed. Natural and formal sciences and medical and health sciences each accounted for 10%, while agricultural sciences comprised the remaining 2%.
While industrial intramural-R&D spending fell slightly between 2011 and 2012, R&D related to energy technologies increased substantially to $2.0 billion, up 18.4% from 2011.
Nationally, industrial R&D spending was $16.2 billion in 2012. Industrial R&D spending in Ontario of $7.3 billion down 4.0% from 2011 and in Quebec of $4.6 billion also down 3.6% from the previous year continued to account for most (74%) of industrial R&D spending performed in 2012. Industrial R&D rose 7.8% to $2.0 billion in Alberta in 2012. The increase was entirely attributable to the mining, oil and gas extraction industry, where R&D spending rose by $234 million.
In 2012, the number of FTE R&D employees totalled 132,156.
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