EU R&D investment scoreboard - report 2020
The European Commission has just released its new edition of “R&D investment scoreboard”. This report analyses the performance of R&D driven industries in Europe, in comparison to no-EU countries. The analysis sample is made of 2.500 companies in all sectors.
You will find below key figures of the analysis, with a specific focus on Germany and France.
Interesting to observe is the geographical location of performant green activities: Germany and France make up for 50% or more of green investments in all sectors (except for ICT). In Germany, Upper Bavaria is one the leaders.
→ press release
→ full report
Key technological trends
Software, AI, hardware and quantum computing:
remote meeting technology, cloud storage
quicker diagnostic with AI
microprocessor technology, limited soon by atomic dimension. Next breakthrough: quantum computing (codebreaking and secure encryption)
Biotechnology (especially medical biotech)
New materials and processes
novel batteries and fuel cells, super-efficient solar cells, mass energy storage
nanomaterials
graphene
high temperature
super-conductors, -capacitors
large scale 3D printing
The R&D investment in 2019 increased of 9,87% in comparison to 2018.
R&D active companies in the EU
Germany ranks first, according to the number of innovation-driven companies as well as to the total R&D investment. It ranks 4 worldwide.
France ranks 2nd for the investment and 3rd for the number of R&D companies (worldwide 5).
R&D investment by sectors (% of total R&D):
ICT: 40%
Health industry: 20,5%
Automotive and transport: 16,3% (EU as the strongest investor)
Industrials: 5,5% (EU as the strongest investor)
Chemicals: 2,6%
Aerospace and defence: 2,3%
Worldwide top R&D investors: Google (USA), Microsoft (USA), Huawei (CAN), Samsung (SKorea), Appel (USA), VW (DE), Facebook (USA), Intel (USA), Roche (CH), Johnson & Johnson (USA)
EU-companies: R&D share
Share of R&D investment by companies’ nationality: Germany 45,9%, France 17,9%, the Netherlands 10,8%
Top10 EU investors in R&D: Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW, Bosch, Siemens, Sanofi, Bayer, Nokia, SAP, Fiat
The EU-companies R&D share is slightly decreasing to 20,9%. The R&D growth is accounted by the automotive and health industries.
In comparison:
USA: 38,4% global R&D share. Its growth is driven by ICT and health industry.
Japan: 12,7% global R&D share (strong decline, as it was 22% in 2009). Its growth is driven by the automotive and health industries.
China: 21% global share. Its growth is driven by ICT and construction. Huawei is the biggest R&D investor with 16% of R&D investments in Chinese sample.
Patents for green activities
Sectors in which there are above-average number of green patents: energy-related sectors, construction, automotive, chemical, industrials.
Germany and France are dominating the green field, with over 50% of total inventions in all sectors, except for the ICT where Sweden ranks first.
In Germany and France, 14% of EU green inventions are done in Stuttgart, Upper Bavaria and Parisian Region.
As far as Germany and France are internationally connected for green activities, they are the two EU countries with the highest number of international partners and co-inventions, respectively 40% and 25% with other EU countries.