R&D spending rose in 2020 amid flood of Covid-19 funding

OECD data shows 6.2 per cent growth in public research spending in the pandemic year

Government spending on research and development in much of the world “broadly rose” in 2020 as countries ploughed money into fighting the global pandemic, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Public R&D budgets across the OECD’s 37 member countries are estimated to have increased by 6.2 per cent in 2020 versus 2019, based on preliminary data. While the organisation cautioned that its findings for government spending were based on a “very incomplete” picture, it said that the estimates showed a “marked increase over 2019” and may reflect emergency funding in response to Covid-19.