EU companies’ R&D spending bounces back from pandemic

But EU’s ICT and automotive investment growth is lagging behind Chinese and US spending

Investments in R&D by top EU companies in 2021 have recovered from a decline in the previous year attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new analysis.

European Commission data show that in 2020, the EU companies that spend most on R&D invested 2.2 per cent less than in the previous year, a drop caused primarily by reduced spending in the transport and energy sectors.