US records jump in business R&D spend

Companies spent $356 billion on R&D in the United States in 2015—a 4.4 per cent increase on 2014, government statistics have found.

According to the latest statistics from the National Science Foundation and the US Census Bureau’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey, companies spent $22bn, or 6 per cent, on basic research.

A total of $56bn, or 16 per cent, was spent on applied research, while $278bn, or 78 per cent, was spent on development, the figures published on 13 September found. These proportions have not changed from 2014.