Public R&D expenditure growth is uneven across EU’s member states, the latest Eurostat data shows. Between 2007 and 2017, government R&D budgets shrunk in several member states. The countries that spend less now than in 2007 are Finland, Spain, UK, France, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Cyprus, Portugal, Latvia, Romania and Hungary.
In contrast, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Luxembourg, Greece, Poland, Slovakia and Malta have increased budget allocations for R&D.
Overall, the average budget allocation for R&D remained stable compared to 2016 at 1.37 per cent of general government expenditure, but fell from 1.46 in 2007.
Source: European Commission
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