Institutional Arrangements and Public Agricultural Research in Canada

Over the last three decades, public investment in agricultural research and development has made an invaluable contribution to the economic and social well-being of Canadian society. However, in the 1990s, public research agencies were reorganized due to budgetary considerations and changes in research agendas. It is evident that since then, private sector contributions have increased and novel ways of funding research and providing financial incentives have been developed. We present quantitative data to show how research expenditure patterns have evolved in response to institutional and organizational changes in research policy. Data are also presented to show how the federal Department of Agriculture has benefitted from inventive activity. Implications of recent changes in research policy for new funding and financing arrangements are also discussed.