Germany Posts Commercial R&D Investment Record

A survey carried out by the education organization Stifterverband on behalf of the German Ministry of Education and Research has found that German businesses allocated EUR 88.7 billion to internal R&D last year. That was an annual rise of 8.4 percent.

Research contracts rose by EUR 31.7 billion– an annual increase of 14.5 percent.

One sector leading the rise in R&D activities was ITC, which saw a 15.1 percent rise in investment and a volume of 15.2 percent. But innovation was also a priority in traditional sectors such as the automotive industry, which recorded a 7.7 percent increase and a volume of EUR 31 billion.

“The strong commitment to digital research and innovation shows that companies are making a serious effort to make up lost ground and face up to global competition,” said Stifterverband President Michael Kaschke in a statement. “At the same time, the high level of expenditure on research contracts clearly demonstrates a willingness and need for collaborative research and development. This is important to make new knowledge and technologies accessible and usable for companies.”