The latest provincial-level data on Research and Development (R&D) shows that R&D expenditures as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ontario continue to be higher than the national average. Only Quebec spends more.
Although Canadian – and Ontario and Quebec – businesses spend comparatively less than the OECD average, they still account for the largest proportion of R&D expenditures. Quebec businesses invest at a higher rate than those in Ontario, but in both provinces business expenditure on R&D are markedly higher than in other provinces.
Higher education is the next largest contributor in Canada, Ontario and Quebec. As a percentage of GDP, Ontario’s universities and colleges’ rate of expenditure is roughly the same as the Canadian average. Quebec higher education institutions spend comparatively more. Some of the difference is due to business and federal funding, but the Quebec government also provides more direct support for university (and other) research than the Ontario government.
This article originally appeared in the OCUFA Report. To receive stories like this every week in your inbox, please subscribe.