Frascati Manual 1963

The first official version of the Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys of Research and Development resulted from the OECD convening of national experts on research and experimental development (R&D) statistics in Frascati, Italy, in 1963. The “Frascati Manual”, as it was referred to, soon became the global standard for compiling comparable statistics on the financial and human resources devoted to R&D. In addition to its statistical guidance role, the definitions and classifications provided serve as a common language for across multiple policy and administrative domains. As a result of its widening application and accumulated experience, the manual was revised several times over the following decades.