Germany's non-university research expenditure up 1.3 pct in 2015

Non-university research institutes have invested around 12.5 billion euros (13.4 billion U.S. dollars) in research and development in Germany in 2015, registering an increase of 1.3 percent compared to 2014, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said.

A total of 5.6 billion euros, almost half, 44.9 percent, of the expenditure on non-university research were invested in natural science. Just over a quarter, 27.4 percent, or 3.4 billion euros were spent on the engineering sciences. The remaining amounts went to human medicine, humanities, social sciences and agricultural science research.

Non-university research institutions include federal, state and local government institutions, as well as publicly-sponsored private nonprofit institutions.

In 2015, around 9.5 billion euros, or more than three quarters of all non-university research expenditure, were spent on private research institutes that are jointly funded by federal and state governments.

The Helmholtz centers spent 4.2 billion euros, the institutes of the Fraunhofer Society 2.1 billion euros, the institutes of the Max Planck Society 1.8 billion euros, and the facilities of the Leibniz Association 1.3 billion euros. The academies of the sciences accounted for around 0.1 billion euros.

According to preliminary calculations, the non-university research institutes accounted for 13.8 percent of total research and development expenditure in Germany in 2015.

Universities accounted for 17 percent. The largest share, 69.2 percent, of research and development was provided by the economic sector.

In total, 90.3 billion euros were spent on research and development across the three sectors in 2015, according to preliminary calculations.

This corresponded to 2.98 percent of German gross domestic product. The EU growth strategy -- called Europa 2020 -- set a target of a 3 percent share of gross domestic product for the year 2020. (1 euro=1.07 U.S. dollar) Endit