site.btaR&D Expenditure in 2015 up 27.4% - Statistics

R&D Expenditure in 2015 up 27.4% - Statistics

Sofia, October 31 (BTA) - In 2015, expenditure on research and development (R&D) totalled 847.2 million leva, 27.4 per cent more than the previous year, the National Statistical Institute said Monday.

R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP) also increased in comparison to the previous year: from 0.79 per cent in 2014 to 0.96 per cent in 2015. Bulgaria's national goal, related to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, is to reach 1.5 per cent R&D intensity in 2020.

Almost all the year-on-year growth of the total R&D expenditure in 2015 was due to the business enterprise sector where expenditure on R&D increased by 183.7 million leva or 42.0 per cent.

Foreign sources of funds continued to have the largest share in the R&D funding in Bulgaria: in 2015 it amounted to 44.0 per cent of total R&D expenditure. At the same time, the highest growth rate was registered with R&D funds coming from the business enterprise sector, which doubled compared to the previous 2014 and accounted for 35.3 per cent of total R&D expenditure in the country.

In 2015, the staff employed in research and development amounted to 22,421 persons (in full-time equivalent) which was 16.0 per cent more than in the previous year. The share of women in total R&D staff was 48.3 per cent and the difference in the level of employment between genders was 3.4 percentage points in favor of men.

For the first time in 2015, most of the scientific staff was concentrated in companies and research institutes in the business enterprise sector: 42.0 per cent of the total staff (in full time equivalent) or 9,409 persons. Scientific activities at organizations and institutions of the government sector involved 8,328 people, which constituted 37.1 per cent of the total R&D staff in 2015. In the higher education sector, 4,521 persons were engaged in research and development, with a share of 20.2 per cent.