Just a question about R&D tax incentives, now obviously I am...

Just a question about R&D tax incentives, now obviously I am talking about MNM here as we can't discuss other stocks on this forum.

As we know, "this" company, (MNM), can claim R&D, so when we pay consultants for work done, these payments can be claimed as R&D

But if we were to give these consultants shares in lieu of cash, maybe because we have no cash to spare, is "this" company, (MNM), still eligible to claim R&D since no cash was paid out.