Canadian higher-education research spending reaches $20.3 billion in 2024/25
Published by BriefDash ·
Canadian higher-education institutions spent $20.3 billion on research and development in 2024/25, up 7.2% from the previous year, Statistics Canada reported October 16. The sector includes universities, colleges and research facilities under their control. A classification adjustment beginning in 2023/24 complicates comparisons between natural and social sciences with earlier years, although overall sector totals remain unchanged by that adjustment. The release measures spending, not research outcomes.
Why it matters
The figures track resources supporting Canadian research, while the methodological caution helps readers avoid mistaking a classification shift for a funding shift between fields.
Source dated October 16, 2026 · Statistics Canada ↗
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Higher Education Expenditures on Research and Development, 2024/2025, October 16, 2026. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Independent factual brief. Original BriefDash illustration.
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