Ireland has clinched a place in a new European Commission list of the top 10 countries for research and development (R&D) after spending increased 13.3 per cent in 2011.
Taking 10th place on the list, Ireland attracts a 1.7 per cent share of R&D investment within the EU. The list was topped by Germany, which dominates R&D investment in the EU with a 34.5 per share.
France and the UK also have a double-digit share of RD spending at 17. per cent and 16.2 per cent respectively.
According to the European Commission’s 2012 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, some 14 of the top 1,500 companies worldwide for R&D have a presence in Ireland.
Japanese car manufacturer Toyota tops the ranking of R&D investors, while Volkswagen is the biggest spender among EU companies, in third place on the list with investment of €7.2 billion.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU commissioner for research, innovation and science, said “private-sector ambition” should be matched by increased investment in R&D at national and European levels.
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