Policy: Eurostat Publishes New Data on Government Budget Allocations for R&D

Data hghlighting trends in EU government R&D spending in 2022.

Eurostat has published new data on government budget allocations for R&D (GBARD) across the European Union (EU). Statistics on GBARD provide users with data measuring government support to research and development (R&D) activities, and spotlights the priority governments give to different public R&D funding activities. GBARD covers not only government-financed R&D performed in government establishments but also government-financed R&D in the other three national sectors (business enterprise, private non-profit, higher education) as well as to the rest of the world sector.

Government budget allocations for R&D (GBARD) across the EU in 2022 totalled €117.368 million in 2022, equivalent to 0.74% of GDP. This represents a 5.4% increase compared with 2021 (€111.393 million) and a 49.2% increase compared with 2012 (€78.656 million).

Allocations for R&D at the EU level stood at €262.7 per person, a 47.2% increase compared with 2012 (€178.5 per person). The highest allocations were recorded in Luxembourg (€661.6 per person), followed by Denmark (€529.1) and Germany (€517.6). EU countries with the lowest R&D budget allocations per person were Romania (€17.6 per person), Bulgaria (€27.3) and Latvia (€49.6).

Between 2012 and 2022, all EU governments increased their budget allocations for R&D in terms of € per person. The largest percentage increases were recorded in Latvia (+208% from €16.1 per person in 2012 to €49.6 in 2022) and Greece (+129% from €66.0 to €151.2). Sweden registered the lowest percentage increase in this reference period (+4% from €377.7 to €391.6).

In 2022, the biggest share of GBARD (35.5%) was directed to the general advancement of knowledge financed in a large majority by a public block grant known as public general university funds (GUF), which many public higher education institutions receive to support all their activities. Next, the allocation of 16.5% of the GBARD was earmarked for the general advancement of knowledge from other sources than GUF, followed by 10.2% to industrial production and technology, 8.3% to health and 5.9% to exploration and exploitation of space.

Further details are available at the Eurostat website.