3 INSTITUTIONAL CLASSIFICATION

3.1.The approach

152.The institutional approach focuses on the characteristic properties of the performing or funding institutions. All of the unit’s R&D resources are classified to one class or sub-class, according to the unit’s principal activity.

3.2.The reporting unit and the statistical unit

3.2.1.The reporting unit

153. The reporting unit is the entity from which the recommended data items are collected. It will vary from sector to sector and from country to country, depending on institutional structures, the legal framework for data collection, traditions, national priorities and survey resources. In some countries, data may be collected from R&D units; in others, it may be gathered at a more aggregate level. The Manual can make no recommendation to member countries concerning the reporting unit.

3.2.2. The statistical unit

154.The statistical unit is the entity for which the required statistics are compiled. It may be an observation unit in which information is received and statistics are compiled or an analytical unit, which statisticians create by splitting or combining observation units with the help of estimations or imputations in order to supply more detailed and/or homogeneous data than would otherwise be possible.

155.In principle, the statistical unit should be uniform, within sectors, for all countries. In practice, however, this goal is never fully achieved. One reason is that structures are different and names are different (or misleadingly similar). Another is interaction with the reporting unit. If the reporting unit is larger than the statistical unit, problems may arise for distributing the data among the appropriate classification units. Various units will be recommended in the following sections. Where necessary, reference is made to the definitions of international standard classifications. However, whenever member countries provide statistics for international comparisons, the statistical units should be specified.

52	FRASCATI MANUAL 2002 – ISBN 92-64-19903-9 – © OECD 2002