Growth in EU companies’ R&D spending continues to lag rivals’

Commissioner calls for increased investment in ICT R&D after reviewing 2019 corporate rankings

Corporate R&D spending in the EU increased for a tenth consecutive year in 2019, but the EU growth again lagged that in competitor countries, the European Commission has reported.

Top corporate R&D spenders in the EU invested 5.6 per cent more in R&D in 2019 than in 2018, the Commission reported on 17 December. But it said this lagged the global average increase of 8.9 per cent, and was “well below” the growth in China of 21 per cent and in the United States of 10.8 per cent.