Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)
Reporting Guide
This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2023 Annual Survey of Research and Development in Canadian Industry. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.
Help Line: 1-877-949-9492
Your answers are confidential.
Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act.
Statistics Canada will use information from this survey for statistical purposes.
NOTE:
- If this business performs in-house research and development (R&D) and outsources R&D, complete all questions.
- If this business performs in-house R&D and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-5, 8-21.
- If this business outsources R&D and does not perform in-house R&D, complete questions 1-3, 5-7, 12 & 16-21.
- If this business does not perform in-house R&D and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-3, 5, 12, 16, 17 & 19-21.
Difference between Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program and this survey
Include the following expenditures in this survey:
- capital R&D expenditures
- R&D expenditures in the social sciences and humanities
- payments for R&D performed by other organizations outside Canada.
For this survey
'In-house R&D' refers to
Expenditures within Canada for R&D performed within this business by:
- employees (permanent, temporary or casual)
- self-employed individuals or contractors who are working on-site on this business's R&D projects.
'Outsourced R&D' refers to
Payments made within or outside Canada to other businesses, organizations or individuals to fund R&D performance:
- grants
- fellowships
- contracts.
Reporting period information
Here are some examples of fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:
- May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023
- July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023
- October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023
- January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023
- February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024
- April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024
Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:
- September 18, 2022 to September 15, 2023 (e.g., floating year-end)
- June 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 (e.g., a newly opened business)
Definitions and Concepts
Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.
R&D is performed in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. There are three types of R&D activities: basic research, applied research and experimental development.
Activities included and excluded from R&D
Inclusions
Prototypes
Include design, construction and operation of prototypes, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the prototype is for commercial purposes.
Clinical Trials
Include clinical trial phases 1, 2, and 3. Include clinical trial phase 4 only if it brings about a further scientific or technological advance.
Pilot plants
Include construction and operation of pilot plants, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the pilot plant is intended to be operated for commercial purposes.
New computer software or significant improvements/modifications to existing computer software
Includes technological or scientific advances in theoretical computer sciences; operating systems e.g., improvement in interface management, developing new operating system or converting an existing operating system to a significantly different hardware environment, programming languages, and applications if a significant technological change occurs.
Contracts
Include all contracts which require R&D. For contracts which include other work, report only the R&D costs.
Research work in the social sciences
Include if projects are employing new or significantly different modelling techniques or developing new formulae, analyzing data not previously available or applying new research techniques, development of community strategies for disease prevention, or health education.
Exclude:
- routine analytical projects using standard techniques and existing data
- routine market research
- routine statistical analysis intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.
Exclusions
Routine analysis in the social sciences including policy-related studies, management studies and efficiency studies
Exclude analytical projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies, principles and models of the related social sciences to bear on a particular problem (e.g., commentary on the probable economic effects of a change in the tax structure, using existing economic data; use of standard techniques in applied psychology to select and classify industrial and military personnel, students, etc., and to test children with reading or other disabilities).
Consumer surveys, advertising, market research
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for commercialization of the results of R&D.
Routine quality control and testing
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies not intended to create new knowledge, even if carried out by personnel normally engaged in R&D.
Pre-production activities such as demonstration of commercial viability, tooling up, trial production, and trouble shooting
Although R&D may be required as a result of these steps, these activities are excluded.
Prospecting, exploratory drilling, development of mines, oil or gas wells
Include only if for R&D projects concerned with new equipment or techniques in these activities, such as in-situ and tertiary recovery research.
Engineering
Exclude engineering unless it is in direct support of R&D.
Design and drawing
Exclude design and drawing unless it is in direct support of R&D.
Patent and license work
Exclude all administrative and legal work connected with patents and licenses.
Cosmetic modifications or style changes to existing products
Exclude if no significant technical improvement or modification to the existing products has occurred.
General purpose or routine data collection
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.
Routine computer programming, systems maintenance or software application
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support on-going operations.
Routine mathematical or statistical analysis or operations analysis
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.
Activities associated with standards compliance
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support standards compliance.
Specialized routine medical care such as routine pathology services
Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity, where results do not further scientific, technological advance, or understanding of the effectiveness of a technology.
In-house R&D expenditures within Canada (Q4 - Q7)
In-house R&D expenditures are composed of current in-house R&D expenditures and capital in-house R&D expenditures.
Current in-house R&D expenditures
Include:
- wages, salaries, benefits and fringe benefits, materials and supplies
- services to support R&D, including on-site R&D consultants and contactors
- necessary background literature
- minor scientific equipment
- associated administrative overhead costs.
a. Wages, salaries of permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees
Include benefits and fringe benefits of employees engaged in R&D activities. Benefits and fringe benefits include bonus payments, holiday or vacation pay, pension fund contributions, other social security payments, payroll taxes, etc.
b. Services to support R&D
Include:
- payments to on-site R&D consultants and contractors working under the direct control of your business
- other services including indirect services purchased to support in-house R&D such as security, storage, repair, maintenance and use of buildings and equipment
- computer services, software licensing fees and dissemination of R&D findings.
c. R&D materials
Include:
- water, fuel, gas and electricity
- materials for creation of prototypes
- reference materials (books, journals, etc.)
- subscriptions to libraries and data bases, memberships to scientific societies, etc.
- cost of outsourced (contracted out or granted) small R&D prototypes or R&D models
- materials for laboratories (chemicals, animals, etc.)
- all other R&D-related materials.
d. All other current R&D costs including overhead
Include administrative and overhead costs (e.g., office, lease/rent, post and telecommunications, internet, legal expenditures, insurance), prorated if necessary to allow for non-R&D activities within the business.
Exclude:
- interest charges
- value-added taxes (goods and services tax (GST) or harmonized sales tax (HST)).
Capital in-house R&D expenditures
Capital in-house R&D expenditures are the annual gross amount paid for the acquisition of fixed assets that are used repeatedly, or continuously in the performance of R&D for more than one year. Report capital in-house R&D expenditures in full for the period when they occurred.
Include costs for software, land, buildings and structures, equipment, machinery and other capital costs.
Exclude capital depreciation.
e. Software
Include applications and systems software (original, customized and off-the-shelf software), supporting documentation and other software-related acquisitions.
f. Land acquired for R&D including testing grounds, sites for laboratories and pilot plants.
g. Buildings and structures that are constructed or purchased for R&D activities or that have undergone major improvements, modifications, renovations and repairs for R&D activities.
h. Equipment, machinery and all other capital
Include major equipment, machinery and instruments, including embedded software, acquired for R&D activities.
Outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D expenditures (Q8 - Q11)
Include payments made through contracts, grants donations and fellowships to another company, organization or individual to purchase or fund R&D activities.
Exclude expenditures for on-site R&D contractors.
- Parent and subsidiary companies are companies connected to each other through majority ownership of the subsidiary company by the parent company. Affiliated companies are companies connected to a parent through minority ownership of the affiliated companies by the parent.
- Companies include all incorporated for-profit businesses and government business enterprises providing products in the market at market rates.
- Private non-profit organizations include voluntary health organizations, private philanthropic foundations, associations and societies and research institutes. They are not-for-profit organizations that serve the public interest by supporting activities related to public welfare (such as health, education, the environment).
- Industrial research institutes or associations include all non-profit organizations that serve the business sector, with industrial associations frequently consisting of their membership.
- Universities include hospitals and clinics when they are affiliated with a university and provide education services or when R&D activity is under the direct control of a university.
- Federal government includes all federal government departments and agencies. It excludes federal government business enterprises providing products in the market.
- Provincial or territorial governments include all provincial or territorial government ministries, departments and agencies. It excludes provincial or territorial government business enterprises providing products in the market.
- Provincial or territorial research organizations are organizations created under provincial or territorial law which conduct or facilitate research on behalf of the province or territory.
- Other organizations – individuals, non-university educational institutions, foreign governments including ministries, departments and agencies of foreign governments.
Sources of funds for in-house R&D expenditures in 2023 (Q16)
Include Canadian and foreign sources.
Exclude:
- payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 9
- capital depreciation.
- Funds from this business
Amount contributed by this business to R&D performed within Canada (include amounts eligible for income tax purposes, e.g., Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program, other amounts spent for projects not claimed through SR&ED, and funds for land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).
- Funds from parent, affiliated and subsidiary companies
Amount received from parent, affiliated and subsidiary companies used to perform R&D within Canada (include amounts eligible for income tax purposes, e.g., Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program, other amounts spent for projects not claimed through SR&ED, and funds for land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).
- Federal government grants or funding
Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.
- Federal government contracts
Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.
- R&D contract work for other companies
Funds received from other companies to perform R&D on their behalf.
- Provincial or territorial government grants or funding
Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.
- Provincial or territorial government contracts
Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.
- R&D contract work for private non-profit organizations
Funds received from non-profit organizations to perform R&D on their behalf.
- Other sources
Funds received from all other sources not previously classified.
Fields of R&D for in-house R&D expenditures within Canada in 2023 (Q18)
Exclude:
- payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 9
- capital depreciation.
Natural and formal sciences
Mathematics, physical sciences, chemical sciences, earth and related environmental sciences, biological sciences, other natural sciences.
Exclude computer sciences, information sciences and bioinformatics (to be reported at lines s. and t.)
- Mathematics: pure mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics and probability.
- Physical sciences: atomic, molecular and chemical physics, interaction with radiation, magnetic resonances, condensed matter physics, solid state physics and superconductivity, particles and fields physics, nuclear physics, fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics), optics (including laser optics and quantum optics), acoustics, astronomy (including astrophysics, space science).
- Chemical sciences: organic chemistry, inorganic and nuclear chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer science and plastics, electrochemistry (dry cells, batteries, fuel cells, metal corrosion, electrolysis), colloid chemistry, analytical chemistry.
- Earth and related environmental sciences: geosciences, geophysics, mineralogy and palaeontology, geochemistry and geophysics, physical geography, geology and volcanology, environmental sciences, meteorology, atmospheric sciences and climatic research, oceanography, hydrology and water resources.
- Biological sciences: cell biology, microbiology and virology, biochemistry, molecular biology and biochemical research, mycology, biophysics, genetics and heredity (medical genetics under medical biotechnology), reproductive biology (medical aspects under medical biotechnology), developmental biology, plant sciences and botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology and behavioural sciences biology, marine biology, freshwater biology and limnology, ecology and biodiversity conservation, biology (theoretical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), evolutionary biology.
- Other natural sciences: other natural sciences.
Engineering and Technology
Civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials engineering, medical engineering, environmental engineering, environmental biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, nanotechnology, other engineering and technologies.
Exclude software engineering and technology (to be reported at line r).
- Civil engineering: civil engineering, architecture engineering, municipal and structural engineering, transport engineering.
- Electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology: electrical and electronic engineering, robotics and automatic control, micro-electronics, semiconductors, automation and control systems, communication engineering and systems, telecommunications, computer hardware and architecture.
- Mechanical engineering: mechanical engineering, applied mechanics, thermodynamics, aerospace engineering, nuclear-related engineering (nuclear physics under Physical sciences), acoustical engineering, reliability analysis and non-destructive testing, automotive and transportation engineering and manufacturing, tooling, machinery and equipment engineering and manufacturing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineering and manufacturing.
- Chemical engineering: chemical engineering (plants, products), chemical process engineering.
- Materials engineering: materials engineering and metallurgy, ceramics, coating and films (including packaging and printing), plastics, rubber and composites (including laminates and reinforced plastics), paper and wood and textiles, construction materials (organic and inorganic).
- Medical engineering: medical and biomedical engineering, medical laboratory technology (excluding biomaterials, which should be reported under Industrial biotechnology).
- Environmental engineering: environmental and geological engineering, petroleum engineering (fuel, oils), energy and fuels, remote sensing, mining and mineral processing, marine engineering, sea vessels and ocean engineering.
- Environmental biotechnology: environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, diagnostic biotechnologies in environmental management (DNA chips and bio-sensing devices).
- Industrial biotechnology: industrial biotechnology, bioprocessing technologies, biocatalysis and fermentation bioproducts (products that are manufactured using biological material as feedstock), biomaterials (bioplastics, biofuels, bioderived bulk and fine chemicals, bio-derived materials).
- Nanotechnology: nano-materials (production and properties), nano-processes (applications on nano-scale).
- Other engineering and technologies: food and beverages, oenology, other engineering and technologies.
Software-related sciences and technology
Software engineering and technology, computer sciences, information technology and bioinformatics.
- Software engineering and technology: computer software engineering, computer software technology, and other related computer software engineering and technologies.
- Computer sciences: computer science, artificial intelligence, cryptography, and other related computer sciences.
- Information technology and bioinformatics: information technology, informatics, bioinformatics, biomathematics, and other related information technologies.
Medical and health sciences
Basic medicine, clinical medicine, health sciences, medical biotechnology, other medical sciences.
- Basic medicine: anatomy and morphology (plant science under Biological science), human genetics, immunology, neurosciences, pharmacology and pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, toxicology, physiology and cytology, pathology.
- Clinical medicine: andrology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, cardiac and cardiovascular systems, haematology, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, radiology and nuclear medicine, dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, dermatology, venereal diseases and allergy, rheumatology, endocrinology and metabolism and gastroenterology, urology and nephrology, and oncology.
- Health sciences: health care sciences and nursing, nutrition and dietetics, parasitology, infectious diseases and epidemiology, occupational health.
- Medical biotechnology: health-related biotechnology, technologies involving the manipulation of cells, tissues, organs or the whole organism, technologies involving identifying the functioning of DNA, proteins and enzymes, pharmacogenomics, gene-based therapeutics, biomaterials (related to medical implants, devices, sensors).
- Other medical sciences: forensic science, other medical sciences.
Agricultural Sciences
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences, animal and dairy sciences, veterinary sciences, agricultural biotechnology, other agricultural sciences.
- Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, soil science, horticulture, viticulture, agronomy, plant breeding and plant protection.
- Animal and dairy sciences: animal and dairy science, animal husbandry.
- Veterinary sciences: veterinary science (all).
- Agricultural biotechnology: agricultural biotechnology and food biotechnology, genetically modified (GM) organism technology and livestock cloning, diagnostics (DNA chips and biosensing devices), biomass feedstock production technologies and biopharming.
- Other agricultural sciences: other agricultural sciences.
Social sciences and humanities
Psychology, educational sciences, economics and business, other social sciences, humanities.
- Psychology: cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, experimental psychology, psychometrics and quantitative psychology, and other fields of psychology.
- Educational sciences: education, training and other related educational sciences.
- Economics and business: micro-economics, macro-economics, econometrics, labour economics, financial economics, business economics, entrepreneurial and business administration, management and operations, management sciences, finance and all other related fields of economics and business.
- Other social sciences: anthropology (social and cultural) and ethnology, demography, geography (human, economic and social), planning (town, city and country), management, organization and methods (excluding market research unless new methods/techniques are developed), law, linguistics, political sciences, sociology, miscellaneous social sciences and interdisciplinary, and methodological and historical science and technology activities relating to subjects in this group.
- Humanities: history (history, prehistory and history, together with auxiliary historical disciplines such as archaeology, numismatics, palaeography, genealogy, etc.), languages and literature (ancient and modern), other humanities (philosophy (including the history of science and technology)), arts (history of art, art criticism, painting, sculpture, musicology, dramatic art excluding artistic "research" of any kind), religion, theology, other fields and subjects pertaining to the humanities, and methodological, historical and other science and technology activities relating to the subjects in this group.
In-house R&D personnel in 2023 (Q70 - Q72)
Include:
- permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees
- independent on-site R&D consultants and contractors working in your business's offices, laboratories, or other facilities
- employees engaged in R&D-related support activities.
Researchers and research managers are composed of:
- Scientists, social scientists, engineers and researchers are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.
- Senior research managers plan or manage R&D projects and programs. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.
R&D technical, administrative and support staff are composed of:
- Technicians and technologists and research assistants are persons whose main tasks require technical knowledge and experience in one or more fields of engineering, the physical and life sciences, or the social sciences, humanities and the arts. They participate in R&D by performing scientific and technical tasks involving the application of concepts, operational methods and the use of research equipment, normally under the supervision of researchers. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.
- Other R&D technical, administrative support staff include skilled and unskilled craftsmen, and administrative, secretarial and clerical staff participating in R&D projects or directly associated with such projects.
On-site R&D consultants and contractors are individuals hired 1) to perform project-based work or to provide goods at a fixed or ascertained price or within a certain time or 2) to provide advice or services in a specialized field for a fee and, in both cases, work at the location specified and controlled by the contracting company or organization.
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
R&D may be carried out by persons who work solely on R&D projects or by persons who devote only part of their time to R&D, and the balance to other activities such as testing, quality control and production engineering. To arrive at the total effort devoted to R&D in terms of personnel, it is necessary to estimate the full-time equivalent of these persons working only part-time in R&D.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) = Number of persons who work solely on R&D projects + the time of persons working only part of their time on R&D.
Example calculation: If out of four scientists engaged in R&D work, one works solely on R&D projects and the remaining three devote only one quarter of their working time to R&D, then: FTE = 1 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1.75 scientists.
Technology and technical assistant payments in 2023 (Q73 - Q75)
Definitions (equivalent to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office: Canadian Intellectual Property Office)
- Patent
Government grant giving the right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention.
- Copyright
Legal protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, computer programs, performer's performances, sound recordings, and communication signals.
- Trademark
A word, symbol or design, or combination of these, used to distinguish goods or services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace.
- Industrial design
Legal protection against imitation of the shape, pattern, or ornamentation of an object.
- Integrated circuit topography
Three-dimensional configurations of the elements and interconnections embodied in an integrated circuit product.
- Original software
Computer programs and descriptive materials for both systems and applications. Original software can be created in-house or outsourced and includes packaged software with customization.
- Packaged or off-the-shelf software
Packaged software purchased for organizational use and excludes software with customization.
- Databases
Data files organized to permit effective access and use of the data including access clinical trial registries and administrative health data for research purposes. Includes partnerships supporting the development of databases, such as patient or clinical trial registries or biobanks, to be used for research purposes (e.g., developing a national bladder cancer patient registry with Bladder Cancer Canada for future research).
- Other technology and technical assistance
Technical assistance, industrial processes and know-how including technology transfer and know how such as batch pilot production, method develop, and validation related to technology or manufacturing transfer.
Energy-related R&D by area of technology (Q22 - Q69)
Fossil Fuels
Crude oils and natural gas exploration, crude oils and natural gas production, oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management, refining, processing and upgrading, coal production, separation and processing, transportation of fossil fuels.
- Crude oils and natural gas exploration
Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical, seismic, magnetic) for on-shore and off-shore prospecting.
- Crude oil and natural gas production and storage, include enhanced recovery natural gas production
Include on-shore and off-shore deep drilling equipment and techniques for conventional oil and gas, secondary and tertiary recovery of oil and gas, hydro fracturing techniques, processing and cleaning of raw product, storage on remote platforms (e.g., Arctic, off-shore), safety aspects of offshore platforms.
- Oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management
Include surface and in-situ production (e.g., SAGD), tailings management.
- Refining, processing and upgrading of fossil fuels
Include processing of natural gas to pipeline specifications, and refining of conventional crude oils to refined petroleum products (RPPs), and the upgrading of bitumen and heavy oils either to synthetic crude oil or to RPPs. Upgrading may be done at an oil sands plant, regional merchant upgraders or integrated into a refinery producing RPPs.
- Coal production, separation and processing
Include coal, lignite and peat exploration, deposit evaluation techniques, mining techniques, separation techniques, coking and blending, other processing such as coal to liquids, underground (in-situ) gasification.
- Transportation of fossil fuels
Include transport of gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons via pipelines (land and submarine) and their network evaluation, safety aspects of LNG transport and storage.
Renewable energy resources
Solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications, solar heating and cooling, wind energy, bio-energy – biomass production and transport, bio-energy – biomass conversion to transportation fuel, bio-energy – biomass conversion to heat and electricity, other bio-energy, small hydro (less than 10 MW), large hydro (greater than or equal to 10 MW), other renewable energy.
- Solar photovoltaics (PV)
Include solar cell development, PV-module development, PV-inverter development, building-integrated PV-modules, PV-system development, other.
- Solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications
Include solar chemistry, concentrating collector development, solar thermal power plants, high-temperature applications for heat and power.
- Solar heating and cooling
Include daylighting, passive and active solar heating and cooling, collector development, hot water preparation, combined-space heating, solar architecture, solar drying, solar-assisted ventilation, swimming pool heating, low-temperature process heating, other.
- Wind energy
Include technology development, such as blades, turbines, converters structures, system integration, other.
- Bio-energy – Biomass production and transport
Include improvement of energy crops, research on bio-energy production potential and associated land-use effects, supply and transport of bio-solids, bio-liquids, biogas and bio-derived energy products (e.g., ethanol, biodiesel), compacting and baling, other.
- Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to transportation fuel
Include conventional bio-fuels, cellulosic-derived alcohols, biomass gas-to-liquids, other energy-related products and by-products.
- Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to heat and electricity
Include bio-based heat, electricity and combined heat and power (CHP), exclude multi-firing with fossil fuels.
- Other bio-energy
Include recycling and the use of municipal, industrial and agricultural waste as energy not covered elsewhere.
- Small hydro (less than 10 MW)
Include plants with capacity below 10 MW.
- Large hydro (greater than or equal to 10 MW)
Include plants with capacity of 10 MW and above.
- Other renewable energy
Include hot dry rock, hydro-thermal, geothermal heat applications (including agriculture), tidal power, wave energy, ocean current power, ocean thermal power, other.
Nuclear fission and fusion
Materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management, nuclear reactors, other fission, fusion.
- Nuclear materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management
Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical) for prospecting, ore surface and in-situ production, uranium and thorium extraction and conversion, enrichment, handling of tailings and remediation.
- Nuclear reactors
Include nuclear reactors of all types and related system components.
- Other fission
Include nuclear safety, environmental protection (emission reduction or avoidance), radiation protection and decommissioning of power plants and related nuclear fuel cycle installations, nuclear waste treatment, disposal and storage, fissile material recycling, fissile materials control, transport of radioactive materials.
- Fusion
Include all types (e.g., magnetic confinement, laser applications).
Electric Power
Generation in utility sector, combined heat and power in industry and in buildings, electricity transmission, distribution and storage of electricity.
- Electric power generation in utility sector
Include conventional and non-conventional technology (e.g., pulverised coal, fluidised bed, gasification-combined cycle, supercritical), re-powering, retrofitting, life extensions and upgrading of power plants, generators and components, super-conductivity, magneto hydrodynamic, dry cooling towers, co-firing (e.g., with biomass), air and thermal pollution reduction or avoidance, flue gas cleanup (excluding CO2 removal), CHP (combined heat and power) not covered elsewhere.
- Electric power - combined heat and power in industry, buildings
Include industrial applications, small scale applications for buildings.
- Electricity transmission, distribution and storage
Include solid state power electronics, load management and control systems, network problems, super-conducting cables, AC and DC high voltage cables, HVDC transmission, other transmission and distribution related to integrating distributed and intermittent generating sources into networks, all storage (e.g., batteries, hydro reservoirs, fly wheels), other.
Hydrogen and fuel cells
Hydrogen production for process applications, hydrogen production for transportation applications, hydrogen transport and storage, other hydrogen, fuel cells, both stationary and mobile.
- Hydrogen production for process applications
- Hydrogen production for transportation applications
- Hydrogen transport and storage
- Other hydrogen
Include end uses (e.g., combustion), other infrastructure and systems R&D (refuelling stations).
- Stationary fuel cells
Include electricity generation, other stationary end-use.
- Mobile fuel cells
Include portable applications.
Energy efficiency
Industry, residential and commercial, transportation, other energy efficiency.
- Energy efficiency applications for industry
Include reduction of energy consumption through improved use of energy and/or reduction or avoidance of air and other emissions related to the use of energy in industrial systems and processes (excluding bio-energy-related) through the development of new techniques, new processes and new equipment, other.
- Energy efficiency for residential, institutional and commercial sectors
Include space heating and cooling, ventilation and lighting control systems other than solar technologies, low energy housing design and performance other than solar technologies, new insulation and building materials, thermal performance of buildings, domestic appliances, other.
- Energy efficiency for transportation
Includes analysis and optimisation of energy consumption in the transport sector, efficiency improvements in light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, non-road vehicles, public transport systems, engine-fuel optimisation, use of alternative fuels (liquid and gaseous, other than hydrogen), fuel additives, diesel engines, Stirling motors, electric cars, hybrid cars, air emission reduction, other.
- Other energy efficiency
Include waste heat utilisation (heat maps, process integration, total energy systems, low temperature thermodynamic cycles), district heating, heat pump development, reduction of energy consumption in the agricultural sector.
Other energy-related technologies
Carbon capture, transportation and storage for fossil fuel production and processing, electric power generation, industry in end-use sector, energy systems analysis, all other energy-related technologies.
- Carbon capture, transport and storage related to fossil fuel production and processing
- Carbon capture, transport and storage related to electric power production
- Carbon capture, transport and storage related to industry in end-use sector
Include industry in the end-use sector, such as steel production, manufacturing, etc. (exclude fossil fuel production and processing and electric power production).
- Energy system analysis
Include system analysis related to energy R&D not covered elsewhere, sociological, economical and environmental impact of energy which are not specifically related to one technology area listed in the sections above.
- All other energy technologies
Include energy technology information dissemination, studies not related to a specific technology area listed above.
Environmental and clean technology R&D expenditures in 2023
Air pollution management
Activities aimed at reducing the emissions of pollutants (including greenhouse gases) to the atmosphere. Include pollution abatement and control (i.e., end-of-pipe processes) and pollution prevention (i.e., integrated processes), as well as related measurement, control, laboratories and the like.
Solid waste management
Activities related to the collection, treatment, storage, disposal, and recycling of all domestic, industrial, non-hazardous and hazardous waste (including low-level radioactive waste). Include monitoring activities. Exclude radioactive waste and mine tailings handling and treatment (to be reported under Protection against radiation and Wastewater management, respectively).
Wastewater management
Activities aimed at pollution reduction or prevention through the abatement of pollutants or the reduction of the release of wastewater. Include measures aimed at reducing pollutants before discharge, reducing the release of wastewater, septic tanks, treatment of cooling water, handling and treatment of mine tailings, etc.
Protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water
Activities aimed at the prevention of pollution infiltration: remediation or cleaning up of soils and water bodies; protection of soil from erosion, salinization and physical degradation; monitoring, control, laboratories and the like. Exclude management of wastewater released to surface waters, municipal sewer systems or soil, or injected underground (to be reported under Wastewater management) and protection of biodiversity and habitat (to be reported under Protection of biodiversity and habitat).
Protection of biodiversity and habitat
Activities related to protecting wildlife and habitat from the effects of economic activity, and to restoring wildlife or habitat that has been adversely affected by such activity. Include related environmental measurements, monitoring, control, laboratories and the like.
Noise and vibration abatement
Activities aimed at controlling or reducing industrial and transport noise and vibration for the sole purpose of protecting the environment. Include preventive in-process modifications at the source, construction of anti-noise/vibration facilities, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.
Protection against radiation
Activities aimed at preventing, reducing, or eliminating the negative consequences of radiation on the environment. This includes all handling, transportation, and treatment of radioactive waste (i.e. waste that requires shielding during normal handling and transportation due to high radionuclide content), the protection of ambient media, measurement, control, laboratories and the like, as well as any other activities related to the containment of radioactive waste. Exclude activities and measures related to low-level radioactive waste (to be reported under Solid waste management), the prevention of technological hazards (e.g., external safety of nuclear power plants), and measures taken to protect workers.
Heat or energy savings and management
Activities aimed at reducing the intake of energy through in-process modifications (such as adjustment of production processes or heat and electricity co-generation), as well as reducing heat and energy losses. This includes insulation activities, energy recovery, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.
Renewable energy
Energy obtained from resources that naturally replenish or renew within a human lifespan (i.e. the resource is a sustainable source of energy). This includes wind, solar, aero-thermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases.