Research and development (R&D) (rd) (2024)

This collection provides users with data about R&D expenditure and R&D personnel broken down by the following institutional sectors: business enterprise (BES); government (GOV); higher education (HES); private non-profit (PNP), total of all sectors.

The R&D expenditure is broken down by source of funds; sector of performance; type of costs; type of R&D; fields of research and development (FORD); socio-economic objectives (NABS 2007) and by regions (NUTS 2 level). The business enterprise sector is further broken down by economic activity (NACE Rev.2); size class; industry orientation.

R&D personnel data are broken down by professional position; sector of performance; educational attainment level; sex; field of research and development (FORD); regions (NUTS 2 level); for the business enterprise sector is further broken down in size class and economic activity (NACE Rev.2). Researchers are further broken down by age class and citizenship.

The periodicity of R&D data are every two years, except for the key R&D indicators (R&D expenditure, R&D personnel (in Full Time Equivalent - FTE) and Researchers (in FTE) by sectors of performance) which are transmitted annually by the EU Member States (from 2003 onwards based on a legal obligation). Some other breakdowns of the data may appear on an annual basis based on voluntary data provisions.

The data are collected through sample or census surveys, from administrative registers or through a combination of sources.

R&D data are available for following countries and country groups:

- All EU Member States; Candidate Countries; EFTA Countries; TheOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) isdata provider for the United States of America, Japan, South Korea and China.

- Country groups: EU Member States, Euro Area States.

R&D data are compiled in accordance to the guidelines laid down in OECD (2015),Frascati Manual 2015: Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development, The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities and the

R&D statistics are compiled in line with international statistical classifications such as:Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev.2, 2008);Nomenclature for the analysis and comparison of scientific programmes and budgets (NABS 2007);International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011); andField of Research and Development classification (FORD 2015). The name of ‘Field of Research and Development’ has changed with the last version of the Frascati Manual (2015); before it was ‘Field of science and technology classification’ (FOS 2007).

In addition to the Frascati Manual (2015) recommendations, regional breakdowns for EU Member States, Candidate Countries and EFTA countries are compiled following theNomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS, Eurostat.

R&D statistics are compiled for four institutional sectors of performance: business enterprise (BES); government (GOV); higher education (HES); private non-profit (PNP). These sectors are defined based on the System of National Account (SNA), with the difference that higher education has been established as a separate sector because of its policy relevance, and households have, by convention, been merged with the private non-profit (PNP) sector.

Main concepts and definitions used for the production of R&D statistics are given by the Frascati Manual (2015).

Research and experimental development (R&D)comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge - including knowledge of humankind, culture and society - and to devise new applications of available knowledge." (§ 2.5, Frascati Manual, 2015).

Intramural R&D expendituresare all current expenditures plus gross fixed expenditure for R&D performed within a statistical unit during a specific period, whatever the source of funds." (§ 4.10, Frascati Manual, 2015).

R&D personnelin a statistical unit include all persons engaged directly in R&D, whether employed by the statistical unit or external contributors fully integrated into the statistical unit`s R&D activities, as well as those providing direct services for the R&D activities (such as R&D managers, administrators, technicians and clerical staff). Persons providing indirect support and ancillary services, such as canteen, maintenance, administrative and security staff, should be excluded, even though their wages and salaries are included in “other current costs” when measuring R&D expenditure." (§ 5.6 – 5.7, Frascati Manual, 2015).

Researchersare professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems and also in the management of the projects concerned." (§5.35, Frascati Manual, 2015).

R&D statistics vs. HRST statistics

The concept of ‘R&D personnel’ relates to the actual occupation of persons, namely whether they are directly engaged in R&D, i.e. in ‘creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge or to devise new applications of existing knowledge’. In contrast, the concept of ‘Human Resources in Science and Technology’ (HRST) covers both the occupation and the educational background and it refers to ‘people who have successfully completed tertiary education or who are employed in science and technology occupations where such education level is normally required’

(see Eurostat metadata Human Resources in Science & Technology,https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/hrst_esms.htm).

Consequently, this means that the criteria for ‘R&D personnel’ are stricter than for HRST, therefore the numbers of HRST are significantly higher than those for R&D personnel.

The statistical units used to compile R&D statistics are: (a) enterprises for the business enterprise sector statistics and (b) institutional units for the Government sector, the higher education sector and the private non-profit sector. The definitions of the statistical units are as set out inCouncil Regulation (EEC) No 1993/696 of 15 March 1993 on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community. For the business enterprise sector the statistical unit is the enterprise. The Regulation defines the enterprise as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. It may carry out one or more activities at one or more locations, and it may be a combination of legal units, one single legal unit or part of a legal unit. For the other three sectors the statistical unit is the institutional unit.

R&D statistics are compiled for the R&D activity performed in the whole economy. R&D data relate to the population of all R&D performing units classified in Sections A to U of theStatistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev.2, 2008).

R&D statistics are currently available for EU Member States; Candidate Countries; EFTA Countries; China; Japan; the United States; South Korea. Regional R&D statistics are available for EU Member States, Candidate countries, and EFTA countries. Apart from national and regional statistics, Eurostat calculates and disseminates aggregates at the EU- and Euro-area-levels.

Eurostat's R&D database contains national data from 1980 onwards. However, data availability differs according to the country.

European aggregates for R&D expenditure and for R&D personnel (in full-time equivalent) are available from 2000 onwards.

The base year for the unit Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) and PPS per inhabitant at constant prices is currently 2005. All calculations of non-basic unit (national currencies) are done by Eurostat.

At national level R&D data are compiled mostly by the national statistical authorities: National Statistical Institutes, but also by Research Councils and Ministries, Agencies, Science Policy Offices, professional associations, National Documentation Centres, universities. The data are collected through sample or census surveys, from administrative registers or through a combination of sources.

National R&D surveys are carried out in accordance to the concepts, guidelines and definitions laid down in the Frascati Manual (2015). The data are gathered via national questionnaires in paper and/or electronic format. The statistical unit used is the enterprise.

Detailed information about the national survey methods applied (Metadata) as well as about the quality of the data (Quality Reports) is provided by the countries to Eurostat systematically once in two years at the minimum.

There are two cycles of annual data collection which correspond to the legally established deadlines for R&D data transmission by the countries: in October (T+10) for preliminary R&D data and in June (T+18) for final R&D data. Between these regular cycles, Member States can also provide updates and/or revisions of R&D data.

36 countries provide basic compilations of national R&D statistics directly to Eurostat: EU Member States; Candidate Countries; EFTA Countries; data for China, Japan, the United States, and South Korea are extracted from the OECD database.

National aggregated R&D data are collected by Eurostat only via eDAMIS and in the SDMX standard. The collection is made in co-operation with the OECD. Countries' data, including confidential data, are provided to Eurostat in basic unit national currency for R&D expenditure and in full-time equivalent (FTE) and in head count (HC) for R&D personnel. Derived indicators and aggregates are calculated by Eurostat on the basis of the collected data and other reference data fromEurostat's dissemination database (Database - Eurostat (europa.eu).

Values can be accompanied by flags.

At Eurostat level, R&D data provided by the national statistical authorities are checked for consistency and plausibility, and compared with previously provided data before being imported in the internal production database. Suspected errors are reported to the national statistical authorities for correction or explanation.

Major breaks in series or/and other deviations are flagged by the countries.

Production of R&D statistics relies on the data sent by the countries. The derived indicators are calculated based on relevant reference data from Eurostat's dissemination database. Geographical aggregates (e.g. EU Member States, Euro Area States) are calculated by Eurostat as the sum of the national data expressed in a common unit. Where single Member States' figures are lacking, Eurostat may use unpublished estimates to impute country data and hence calculate the European aggregates.

European aggregates should be seen as estimates. They can sometimes deviate from what is obtained when summing up the national data. This can be due to dissemination of single or several national data sets outside the normal data treatment cycles. It can also be due to possible inconsistencies in national data e.g. the totals have been revised with different cycle than their breakdowns. Within the European aggregates consistency is however always assured in a way that breakdowns sum up to the total.