Classification of research and development funder and performer sectors

1 - Total government

The OECD definition of this sector is: "All departments, offices and other bodies which furnish but normally do not sell to the community those common services which cannot otherwise be conveniently and economically provided and administer the state and the economic and social policy of the community.

Public enterprises such as Petro-Canada and Ontario Hydro are excluded from this sector and included in the Business enterprise sector. Many non-profit organizations and bodies, however, are included in this sector if they either serve or are controlled by government, or both.

In Canada the distribution of Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (GERD) amongst the government sub-sectors are published. The sub-sectors are the federal government, the provincial governments and the provincial research organizations (PRO's). Currently Canada has seven PRO's. They are the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council, the "Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ)", the Industrial Technology Centre (Manitoba), the Saskatchewan Research Council, the Yukon Research Institute, the NUNAVUT Research Institute and the Aurora Research Institute.