Modest gains in industrial R&D spending

Guest Contributor
October 10, 2012

fail to close gap with previous high

The darker flip side to the state of Canadian S&T is contained in new data showing continued tepid performance by industrial R&D performers. Coming on the heels of a new expert panel assessment of Canadian S&T that shows world class strength in several key research fields (see page 1), Statistics Canada reports that company spending on R&D remains well below the high-water mark of 2007, registering only modest projected gains in 2012.

Corporate R&D was up $135 million or 0.9% in 2012 to $15.5 billion, following a 1.6% increase in 2011 (downgraded from StatsCan' s projection last year of a 5% hike that year, primarily due to better-than-expected spending in 2010). Industrial R&D peaked in 2007 at $16.8 billion and fell off slightly in 2008 before plunging more than $1 billion or 6.5% in 2009.

Weakness in the manufacturing sector, which drove down corporate R&D outlays during the economic crisis, has yet to fully recover, although it did increase 3.1% in 2012 to $7.6 billion. In contrast, services-related R&D (the second largest category after manufacturing) slipped slightly by 0.2% to $6.8 billion.

manufacturing rebounds

The modest rebound in manufacturing R&D boosts its share of total industrial spending to 49%, up somewhat from its all-time low of 46% in 2008 but well below its commanding 68% share in 2000. Six industrial groupings exceeded the $1-billion threshold in 2012: scientific research and experimental development services ($1.7 billion), communications equipment ($1.5 billion), aerospace products ($1.3 billion), computer system design ($1.3 billion), wholesale trade ($1.3 billion) and information and cultural industries ($1.3 billion). Taken together they account for 54.2% of total projected industrial spending.

A further three industrial categories achieved R&D outlays of $500 million or more: oil and gas extraction ($646 million, down 10.9% from 2011), pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing ($643 million) and machinery manufacturing ($591 million).

Perhaps the most telling indicator of the troubled fortunes of industrial R&D is personnel. In 2008 nearly 173,000 people engaged in corporate R&D. By 2010 (the most recent year for which data are available), the number of dropped 36,541 or 21.2% to 136,203.

The historical decline in manufacturing R&D has also taken its toll on the share of spending in Canada's two largest provinces. Ontario and Quebec's share fell from 85% in 2000 to 76% in 2010, with the greatest gains occurring in the Prairie provinces (6% to 12%). British Columbia's spending increased from 8% to 11% in the same period while Atlantic Canada doubled its share from 1% to 2%.

Energy-related R&D continues its impressive upward trajectory, reflecting the growing importance of oil and gas extraction and related activities. Spending jumped 11.3% between 2009 and 2010 to $1.5 billion, while fossil fuels technologies were up 7.2% to $928 million.

R$

Business R&D as a % of GDP, by selected OECD countries

percent
Country2010   2009   2008   2007   1995   
Israel 3.51    3.55    3.80    3.90    1.51   
Finland 2.69    2.80    2.75    2.51    1.43   
Sweden 2.35    2.54    2.74    2.47    2.43   
Japan ..    2.54    2.70    2.68    1.90   
Korea 2.8    2.64    2.53    2.45    1.70   
Switzerland ..    ..    2.20    ..    ..   
United States ..    2.04    2.04    1.93    1.76   
Denmark 2.08    2.08    1.99    1.80    1.04   
Austria 1.88    1.85    1.85    1.77    ..   
Germany 1.9    1.91    1.86    1.77    1.45   
Iceland ..   ..    1.44    1.46    0.49   
France 1.38    1.39    1.33    1.31    1.39   
Australia ..    1.30    1.38    1.27    0.82   
Belgium 1.32    1.34    1.34    1.32    1.19   
Luxembourg 1.16    1.26    1.22    1.32    ..   
Slovenia 1.43    1.20    1.07    0.87    0.71   
United Kingdom 1.08    1.12    1.10    1.11    1.24   
Ireland 1.22    1.16    0.94    0.84    0.88   
Canada 0.91   0.99    0.98    1.09    0.99   
Norway 0.87    0.92    0.84    0.84    0.96   
Netherlands 0.87    0.86    0.89    0.96    1.03   
Spain 0.71    0.72    0.74    0.71    0.38   
Italy 0.67    0.67    0.65    0.61    0.52   
OECD total ..    1.62    1.63    1.58    1.37   

Industrial R&D expenditures - current and 2002 constant dollars

($ millions)
 Current Dollars   2002 Constant Dollars 
YearIntramural   Capital   Total   Intramural   Capital   Total   
201214,653   839    5,493   ..   ..   ..   
201114,551   807   15,358   11,476    636   12,112   
201014,228   888   15,116   11,605   725   12,330   
200914,679   890   15,569   12,325   747   13,073    
200815,569   1075   16,644   12,825   886   13,710   
200715,651    1,105    16,756    13,423    948    14,370   
2006 15,318    1,155    16,474    13,556    1,022    14,579   
2005 14,572    1,067    15,638    13,235    969    14,203   
200414,095    1,049    15,144    13,222    984    14,206   
2003 13,110    985    14,094    12,691    954    13,644   
2002 12,492    1,052    13,545    12,492    1,052    13,545   
2001 12,767    1,499    14,266    12,909    1,516    14,425   
2000 11,201    1,194    12,395    11,453    1,221    12,674   
1999 9,360    1,039    10,399    9,968    1,106    11,075   
1998 8,727    955    9,682    9,455    1,035    10,490   
1997 7,874    865    8,739    8,485    932    9,417   
1996 7,159    838    7,997    7,816    915    8,730   
1995 7,286    705    7,991    8,078    782    8,859   
1994 6,938    629    7,567    7,866    713    8,579   
1993 5,878    546    6,424    6,741    626    7,367   
1992 5,286    457    5,742    6,154    532    6,685   
1991 4,812    543    5,355    5,675    640    6,315   
1990 4,541    628    5,169    5,511    762    6,273   
1989 4,155    624    4,779    5,207    782    5,989   
1988 3,980    643    4,623    5,209    842    6,051   
1987 3,691    649    4,340    5,049    888    5,937   
Source: Statistics Canada - Catalogue no. 88-202-X



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