ANNEX

BASIC DEFINITIONS OF THE ANNUAL SURVEY OF ORGANIZATIONS CARRYING OUT

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITIES

The following definitions are based on the methodology of the Frascati Manual of the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Secretariat of Science, Technology and
Productive Innovation (SeCyT).

Organization: for the present survey, it means the highest institutional level of each organization carrying
out S&T activities. It includes: public and private universities; national and provincial public institutions;
business enterprises and private non-profit institutions

Research and Experimental Development (R&D): it comprises creative work undertaken on a systematic
basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the
use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. The term R&D covers three activities: basic
research, applied research and experimental development.

Basic research: it is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge abouth
the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in
view.

Applied research: is also original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge. It is,
however, directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective.

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Experimental development: it is systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research
and/or practical experience, and directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new
processes, systems and services, or improving substantially those already produced or installed.

Research (scientist / technological personnel in R&D): the person working in the creation of new
knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems and the management of the pertaining projects. It
includes the senior personnel that develop planning and management activities of the scientific and technical
aspects of the researchers’ work.

Research scholarship holder: this is the person who carries out S&T activities under the supervision of a
researcher, usually with training purposes.

Technician: The person whose work requires knowledge and experience of a technical nature in one or in
several fields of the knowledge. They carry out their tasks under the supervision of an investigator. In
general, they are: laboratory assistants, draftsmen, engineers’ assistants, photographers, mechanical and
electrical technicians, programmers, etc.

Other support staff: the persons cooperating with support services to the S&T activities, such as of office
personnel, workers, etc. This category includes managers and administrators who deal with financial
problems, personnel, etc., whenever their activities are related to the S&T.

R&D projects: It is a coordinated set of specific scientific and technological tasks that partially or totally
involve R&D activities and that, from preexisting knowledge, makes it possible to reach an objective whose
characteristics have been previously established and/or to increase the knowledge.

Field of science: it corresponds to the science or disciplines in which people work or the scientific and
technological activities are developed.

Socio-economic objectives: they correspond to the economic application area of the S&T activity results.

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TYPE OF INSTITUTIONS PERFOMING S&T ACTIVITIES IN ARGENTINA

National Council on Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET): it is a public institution recognized as
the most important multi-disciplinary institution for production and support to science and technology in the
country. It comprises more than 100 performing units, which hold: regional centers, institutes and national
laboratories.

Others public institutions: they correspond to the remaining institutions in the national and provincial public
administration which totally or partially carry out S&T activities (CNEA,CONAE, INTA, INTI, etc.).

Public universities: they are the institutions responsible for public high education. Professors carry out the
investigations with full or part time positions, usually as a complement of their teaching tasks. In the survey,
this group does not include CONICET researchers who develop within the physical location of the university.

Private universities: they are the institutions responsible for private high education. Research is also a
complement of the educational activity performed in these organizations.

Business enterprises: the firms fundamentally carry out applied research and experimental development
aimed to the production of goods. Their objectives are related not only to the creation of new products for the
market, but also to the decrease of costs, manufacture times and quality improving of those products
traditionally made with the purpose of increasing the sales and/or the benefits.

Non-profit private institutions: this group comprises, among others, associations, societies and
foundations that carry out some type of S&T activity. The objective of the research is not the profit. They fulfill
an important role performing technological services, such as the diffusion of S&T.

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TECHNICALS ABREVIATIONS:

S&T: Science and Technology

FTE: Full-time equivalent
R&D: Research and Experimental Development
GERD: Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D
FT: Full-time
PT: Part-time
GDP: Gross Domestic Product
PPP: Purchasing Power Parities
ISIC: International Standard Industrial Classification
SEN: National Statistical System
SENCYT: National Statistical System on Science and Technology
IPR: Intellectual Property Rights

ACRONYMS:

INDEC: National Institute of Statistics and Censuses

INPI: National Institute for Industrial Property
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
RICyT: Science and Technology Indicators Network – Latin American and Inter American
ISI: Institute for Scientific Information
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
CAICYT: Argentine Center of Scientific and Technological Information

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 Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología
Secretaría de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva
Av. Córdoba 831
(C1054AAH) Ciudad de Buenos Aires
REPUBLICA ARGENTINA
Phone/Fax: (54 11) 4311-0333
E-mail: releva@correo.secyt.gov.ar
Web site: www.secyt.gov.ar

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