Biotechnology Use and Development Survey

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1996

Reference period of change - 2003

Target population - The classification of the industry is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2002.

Reference period of change - 1999

This survey is the latest in a series of initiatives to develop a biotechnology statistics program. Statistics Canada conducted two previous surveys concerning biotechnologies. The first, the Biotechnology Use Survey -- 1996 (Survey # 4221), examined the use of biotechnologies in selected Canadian industries. The second, the Biotechnology Firm Survey -- 1997 (Survey # 4226 - being the first version of this survey), was aimed at firms actively conducting research and development and considered to be the core biotechnology firms.

In 1999 and 2001 however, the sample was made of a must-take-all list and a take-some units. In addition, the 2001 survey was done in 2 phases. Phase 1 was a pre-contact phase and serves to identify firms that were using biotechnologies in their production process or developing products/processes using biotechnologies. Phase 2 was the survey per-se. The effects of these changes on the estimates has been estimated and found to be minor.

Reference period of change - 1997

The "Biotechnology Firm Survey" was conducted for the 1997 reference year.

Sampling - Even though the universe of the survey has not changed, there has been a change in the sample selection methodology. Units in the 1997 survey were sampled with certainty and constituted a must-take-all list of firms which names and addresses were provided by Statistics Canada, industry experts as well as different stakeholders such as Industry Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.