Survey on Research Activities and Commercialization of Intellectual Property in Higher Education

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Step 1: Visit the electronic questionnaire portal and select Start my survey.

Step 2: Enter your secure access code (you will find this code in the invitation letter or email you previously received from Statistics Canada).

Step 3: Complete the survey.

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Phone:

1-877-949-9492
(TTY: 1-800-363-7629)
Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern time

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The objective of the Survey on Research Activities and Commercialization of Intellectual Property in Higher Education is to ensure the availability of relevant information in order to understand science and technology (S&T) related activities in the higher education sector, to support the development of S&T policy and to understand how science and technology activities within Canada's higher education sector contributes to economic growth, business development and employment growth.

The survey topics cover the research and technology development activities conducted, partnerships and collaborations on S&T activities, intellectual property outputs, protection, management and commercialization, as well as commercial start-ups and spin-offs from the technologies developed in the higher education sector. The higher education sector covers colleges, CEGEPs, universities and research hospitals in Canada.

The data will be used to better understand the outcomes and economic benefits of public sector research. Data users include the federal and provincial governments, institutional administrators and researchers.

In 2022, the Canadian government provided funding to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to launch a survey, in collaboration with Statistics Canada, to evaluate government investments in science and research and how knowledge created at postsecondary institutions generates commercial outcomes. Building on previous work such as the Survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization in the Higher Education Sector (SIPCHES), which was last conducted for the 2009 reference year, this new survey aims to develop coherent indicators for science and technology activities in the Canadian postsecondary sector. It is designed to evolve, incorporating new insights to reflect the unique contributions of each institution type over time.

The information collected may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.


Collection period:

From September 3, 2024 to November 29, 2024


Collection methods:

Electronic questionnaire and telephone interview


Survey participation:

Mandatory

Confidentiality

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that 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 the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Data sharing agreements and record linkage

Data sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with  organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon.

The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Centre for Innovation, Technology and Enterprise Statistics (CITES)
150 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.citesclientservices-csiteservicealaclientele.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as with the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Record linkage

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources.

Topics covered in the survey

  • Information on research and technology development activities
  • External partnerships and collaborations related to science and technology activities
  • Intellectual property outputs, protection, management and commercialization
  • Commercial start-ups and spin-offs from the technologies developed

Published data

Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.

Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.

Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.

For more information about this survey