Brussels, 10/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - In 2006, the EU27 spent 1.84% of its GDP on research and development (R&D). In 2005, R&D intensity (i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP) was also 1.84%, and in 2000 it was 1.86%. In 2006, R&D expenditure in the EU27 amounted to more than €210 billion, compared with €170 billion in 2000, according to the 2007 edition of Science, Technology and Innovation in Europe, published by Eurostat on Monday 20 March.
The publication reveals wide gaps in R&D intensity in the EU, from 0.4% in Cyprus to 3.8% in Sweden. Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, notes that the biggest rises in R&D intensity between 2000 and 2006 were recorded in Austria (from 1.91% to 2.45%), Estonia (from 0.61% to1.14%) and the Czech Republic (from 1.21% to 1.54%). Together, Germany, the United Kingdom and France accounted for around 60% of the EU27's R&D expenditure.
The report also shows that the highest proportion of scientists and engineers in the workforce was found in Belgium (7.9%), Ireland (6.8%), Finland (6.7%) and Sweden (6.5%); the highest number of jobs in high and medium-tech manufacturing were recorded in Lombardy (Northern Italy), the Stuttgart region in Germany and Catalonia in Spain, but Germany is way ahead of all other Member States with eleven regions among the EU27's top twenty; and the Ile de France and Lombardy regions have the greatest number of jobs in knowledge intensive services.
Document available at: http: //epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-AE-07-001/EN/KS-AE-07-001-EN.PDF. (O.L.)