Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)
Reporting Guide
This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2015 Annual Survey of Research and Development of Canadian Private Non-profit Organizations. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.
Help Line: 1-800-972-9692
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:
All questions apply to organizations with both expenditures for R&D performed in-house within Canada and payments for R&D performed by other organizations.
Questions that apply to either organizations with expenditures for R&D performed in-house within Canada or those that make payments for R&D performed by other organizations are specified in the table below:
| Questions | Private non-profit organizations performing R&D in-house within Canada | Private non-profit organizations paying for R&D performed by other organizations | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Yes | Yes | Organization's general information |
| 7 | Yes | Yes | In-house research and development (R&D) expenditures within Canada |
| 8 | Yes | No | In-house research and development (R&D) expenditures within Canada |
| 9 to 11 | No | Yes | Payments for R&D performed by other organizations |
| 12 | Yes | No | Geographic distribution of current and capital in-house R&D expenditures within Canada |
| 13 | Yes | No | Sources of funds for in-house R&D expenditures |
| 14 to 15 | Yes | No | Fields and nature of research and development for in-house R&D expenditures within Canada |
| 16 | Yes | Yes | Results of R&D expenditures |
| 17 to 19 | Yes | No | In-house R&D personnel within Canada |
| 20 to 21 | Yes | Yes | Technology or technical assistance payments |
| 22 | Yes | Yes | Reporting changes and events that affected R&D expenditures |
Contents
Definitions and Concepts
Reporting period information
Full-time equivalent (FTE) (Q6)
In-house R&D (Q7)
Payments for R&D performed by other organizations (Q10)
Fields of research and development (Q14)
Nature of R&D (Q15)
Results or outcomes of R&D (Q16)
R&D personnel (Q17)
Organization's total in-house R&D personnel performing software-related activities (Q18)
Technology payments (Q20 and 21)
Definitions and Concepts
Research and Development (Frascati Manual)
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. R&D ends when the work is no longer experimental and is ready for pre-production, commercialization, implementation or dissemination. The R&D phase has ended when the primary objective is to develop markets, to do pre-production planning or to ensure that operating systems are working.
In-house R&D
'In-house' refers to R&D which is performed on-site or within the organization's establishment. Exclude R&D expenses performed by other companies or organizations.
Payments to others to perform R&D
Payments made through contracts, grants, donations and fellowships to another company, organization or individual to purchase or fund R&D activities.
Reporting period information
Here are some examples of common fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:
- May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015
- June 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015
- August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015
- October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015
- December 1, 2014 to November 30, 2015
- January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015
- February 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016
- March 1, 2015 to February 28, 2016
- April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016
Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:
- September 18, 2014 to September 15, 2015 (e.g., floating year-end)
- June 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015 (e.g., a newly opened business)
Full-time equivalent (FTE) (Q6)
The organization's personnel is composed of full-time and part-time employees.
FTE (full-time equivalent) = Number of persons who work full-time for the organization + part time workers.
Example calculation: If out of four employees, one works full-time for the organization and the remaining three devote only one quarter of their working time to the organization, then: FTE = 1 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1.75 employees.
In-house R&D (Q7)
Current costs
- Wages and salaries
Fringe benefits of employees engaged in R&D activities. Fringe benefits include bonus payments, holiday or vacation pay, pension fund contributions, other social security payments, payroll taxes, etc. - Services to support R&D
Payments to on-site R&D consultants and contractors working under the direct control of your organization; 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 - R&D materials
Utilities: water, fuel, gas and electricity; materials for creation of prototypes, reference materials (books, journals, etc.); subscriptions to libraries and databases, memberships to scientific societies, etc.; cost of outsourced small R&D prototypes or R&D models; materials for laboratories (chemicals, animals, etc.); all other R&D-related materials - All other current costs
Administrative and overhead costs (e.g., office, post and telecommunications, internet, insurance), prorated if necessary to allow for non-R&D activities within organization
Capital expenditures
Capital in-house 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. They should be reported in full for the period when they occurred.
- Software
Applications and systems software (original, custom and off-the-shelf software), supporting documentation and other software-related acquisitions - Land
Land acquired for R&D including testing grounds, sites for laboratories and pilot plants - Buildings
Buildings and structures (constructed or purchased) for R&D activities or that have undergone major leasehold improvements (modifications, renovations and repairs) for R&D activities - Equipment, machinery and all other
Major equipment, machinery and instruments, including embedded software, acquired for R&D activities
Payments for R&D performed by other organizations (Q10)
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.
Fields of research and development (Q14)
Medical and health 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, infectious diseases and epidemiology parasitology and 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 and other medical sciences.
Other fields of science and technology
- Natural and formal sciences
Mathematics, physical sciences, chemical sciences, earth and related environmental sciences, biological sciences and 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 and other engineering and technologies - Software-related sciences and technologies
Software engineering and technology, computer sciences and information technology and bioinformatics - Agricultural sciences
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences, animal and dairy sciences, veterinary sciences, agricultural biotechnology and other agricultural sciences - Social sciences and humanities
Psychology, educational sciences, economics and business, other social sciences and humanities
Nature of R&D (Q15)
- Basic research
Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view. - Applied research
Applied research is original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge. It is, however, directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective. - Experimental development
Experimental development is systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and practical experience and producing additional knowledge, which is directed to producing new products or processes, or to improving existing products or processes.
Results or outcomes of R&D (Q16)
- Goods
Goods developed through new knowledge from research discoveries include: determination of effectiveness of existing treatment protocols, new treatment protocols (including diagnostic procedures, tests and protocols), new service delivery models and reference tools (including electronic applications) - Services
Include on-going knowledge transfer to physicians, first responders, patients and the general public
R&D personnel (Q17)
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.
FTE (full-time equivalent) = 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.
Researchers and research managers
- Scientists, social scientists, engineers and researchers
Scientists, social scientists, engineers and researchers create new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems. They may be certified by provincial educational authorities, provincial or national scientific or engineering associations - Senior research managers
Senior research managers plan or manage R&D projects and programs. They may be certified by provincial educational authorities, provincial or national scientific or engineering associations
Technicians, technologists and research assistants
- Technicians and technologists assist scientists, engineers and researchers in R&D activities, e.g. laboratory technicians, chemical technicians, draftspersons, research assistants and software technicians. They may be certified by provincial educational authorities, provincial or national scientific or engineering associations
Other technical, administrative and research staff
- Administrative support staff includes administrative assistants, accountants, storekeepers and clerks directly engaged in the administration or clerical support of R&D activities. Also included are machinists and electricians engaged in the construction of prototypes
Other R&D occupations
- On-site contractors
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 organization
Organization's total in-house R&D personnel performing software-related activities (Q18)
Software-related sciences and technologies
- 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.
Technology payments (Q20 and 21)
- Patents
Government grant giving the right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention - Copyrights
Provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs), and three other subject matter known as: performance, sound recording, and communication signal - Trademarks
Word, symbol or design (or any combination of these features) used to distinguish the wares and services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace - Industrial design
Visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament (or any combination of these features), applied to a finished article of manufacture - Integrated circuit topography
Three-dimensional arrangement of the electronic circuits in integrated circuit products or layout designs - Original software
Consist of 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
Purchased for use by your organization and excludes software with customization - Databases (useful life exceeding one year)
Consist of files of data organized to permit effective access and use of the data - Other
Include technical assistance, industrial processes and know-how