Spending on research and development has increased by almost 9 percent in the Maritime provinces between 2004 and 2005, the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission announced today, November 25, 2008.
The Commission has released statistics on research and development funding in each Maritime province and university. The tables are available for download from the commission’s website – www.mphec.ca – and include statistics on gross domestic expenditure on research and development, research and development expenditure in the higher education and business enterprise sectors, and research and development income from the three granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs Program, and provincial governments.
Between 1996 and 2005, expenditures on research and development in the Maritimes increased by 80 percent to $770 million from $424 million. Expenditures increased $63 million from 2004.
Of the $770 million, Nova Scotia at $464 million accounted for nearly 60 percent of that total, followed by New Brunswick at $243 million then Prince Edward Island at $63 million. Research and development funding in Prince Edward Island increased nearly 54 percent between 2004 and 2005. This increase appears to be largely due to an investment in bioresources by the National Research Council. During the same period, funding increased by 8 percent in Nova Scotia and 5 percent in New Brunswick.
In the Maritimes, the higher education sector has a greater proportion of research and development funding than the national average but business enterprise expenditures lag.
The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission was established in 1974. The commission’s 20 members are drawn from the Maritime provinces, and represent higher education institutions, provincial governments and the general public. Its mission is to assist institutions and governments in enhancing the post-secondary learning environment.
As part of this mission, the Commission collects and maintains data pertaining to post-secondary education in the Maritimes. The commission also conducts research on issues in post-secondary education; reports and research articles are available on the website www.mphec.ca free of charge.