The meaning of "research" is as defined by the OECD for "research and experimental development":
Research and experimental development comprises creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man (sic), culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.
Research is characterised by originality; it has investigation as a primary objective and has the potential to produce results that are sufficiently general for humanity's stock of knowledge (theoretical and/or practical) to be recognisably increased.
Research includes pure basic research, strategic basic research, applied research.
In addition to the activity of people who are obviously engaged in research, research activity also includes:
- the provision of professional, technical, administrative or clerical support and/or assistance to staff directly engaged in research;
- management of staff who are either directly engaged in research or are providing professional, technical or clerical support or assistance to those staff;
- activities of students undertaking postgraduate research courses;
- development of postgraduate research courses; and
- supervision of students undertaking postgraduate research courses.
The following specific activities are not to be classified as being research except where they are primarily for the support of, or as part of research activities:
- preparation for teaching;
- literary and artistic activities such as creative writing (but note that preparation of an original report on research findings is research);
- scientific and technical information services;
- general purpose or routine data collection;
- standardisation and routine testing;
- feasibility studies (except into research projects);
- specialised routine medical care;
- the commercial, legal and administrative aspects of patenting, copyright or licensing activities; and
routine computer programming, systems work or software maintenance (but note that research into applications software, new programming languages and new operating systems is included).