Press Release: European companies set to increase their R&D investment over the next three years, Commission survey shows

A recent survey of European companies about their R&D investment shows that these companies expect their global investments in R&D to grow by roughly 5% a year over the next three years. This contrasts with growth of just 0.7% for R&D investment reported in the 2005 Scoreboard. The European Commission questioned more than 400 companies in ten major industrial sectors about their R&D investment intentions. The survey also gives an insight into other aspects of private companies’ decisions about their R&D activities, such as the incentives that lead companies to invest in R&D, the factors that lead to a decision as to where their R&D operations are located and the sources of finance. Companies that do not invest in R&D were also asked about their reasons for not doing so.