France’s richest region, Île-de-France, continues to dominate the research landscape, according to government figures published this month.
A report on regional research profiles for 2008 shows that the region’s €16 billion expenditure accounted for 41 per cent of national research spending in that year.
The region also employed 37 per cent of all 386,000 workers involved in the research sector and 40 per cent of the country’s researchers.
Altogether, four regions accounted for 70 per cent of national research spending—Île-de-France, Rhône-Alpes, Midi-Pyrénées and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
However, the Midi-Pyrénées spent more than any other region on R&D as a proportion of its regional GDP, at 4 per cent. The figure for Île-de-France was just under 3 per cent.
The report also showed that industry investment accounted for around two-thirds of R&D spending in France, or €25bn, in 2008. Investments in the automobile industry, pharmaceuticals and aeronautics accounted for 40 per cent of this spend.