Business Enterprise Research and Development - Key Facts

Business Enterprise Research and Development 2011

  • Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) expenditure in Scotland in 2011 was £689 million, 4.0% of the UK total of £17.4 billion and 0.56% of Scottish GDP.
  • Expenditure in Scotland in 2011 increased by 8.3% in real terms compared to 2010 figures – compared to a UK increase of 6.0%.
  • BERD expenditure in Scotland is dominated by the Manufacturing sector (£452 million, 65.5%), followed by the Services sector (£155 million, 22.5%) and then Other sectors (£83 million, 12.0%), such as Extractive industries.

  • Expenditure on R&D in Manufacturing increased by 4.1% (£18 million) in real terms between 2010 and 2011, expenditure on R&D in Services increased by 14.2% (£19 million) and expenditure on R&D in Other sectors increased by 23.7% (£16 million).

  • In 2011, 22.5% of Scottish BERD expenditure was undertaken by businesses located in the Edinburgh City Local Authority Area, the largest share of all local authority areas.  West Lothian (12.1%) and Aberdeen City (10.2%) Local Authority Areas have the next largest shares of Scottish BERD expenditure.

  • Businesses in Scotland employed 7,992 R&D staff in 2011, up from 7,472 in 2010. Over half (53%) of R&D staff are scientists and engineers.

  • The largest companies (400 employees and over) accounted for the majority (56%) of total BERD expenditure.
  • American owned firms undertook 41% of business R&D in Scotland, followed by Scottish owned firms (30%).

Gross Expenditure on Research and Development - Key Facts

Gross Expenditure on Research and Development 2011

  • Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) in Scotland in 2011 was £1,934 million, which is 7.1% of the UK total.   This total includes, for the first time, an estimate of the Private Non-Profit (PNP) sector. 2011 is the first year that expenditure for this sector for Scotland has been available.
  • In order to make comparisons over time, the 2011 figure is evaluated without the PNP sector (£9 million), as PNP data is currently not available for previous years. Scottish GERD was £1,925 million in 2011, excluding the PNP sector. This is an increase of £22 million (in real terms) since 2010. In 2011, Scottish GERD increased by 1.2% in real terms compared to 2010 figures.
  • GERD was 1.56% of Scottish GDP in 2011, compared to 1.79% in the UK and 1.94% in the EU.

Higher Education Research and Development - Key Facts

Higher Education Research and Development 2011

  • Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) expenditure in Scotland in 2011 was £953 million, 13.4% of the UK total and 0.77% of Scottish GDP.
  • Scotland's HERD as a percentage of GDP ranked top out of the twelve UK countries/regions, and ranks third highest among the OECD countries.

Government Expenditure on Research and Development - Key Facts

Government Expenditure on Research and Development 2011

  • Government Expenditure on Research and Development (GovERD) in Scotland in 2011 was £283 million, 12.0% of the UK total and 0.23% of Scottish GDP.
  • In comparison to the other eleven UK countries/regions, Scotland ranks third in terms of GovERD as a percentage of GDP.

Private Non-Profit Expenditure on Research and Development - Key Facts

Private Non-Profit Expenditure on Research and Development 2011

  • Private Non-Profit Expenditure on Research and Development (PNP) in Scotland in 2011 was £9 million, 1.8% of the UK total and 0.01% of Scottish GDP.  2011 is the first year that PNP data is available for Scotland.  It is currently not available before 2011 for Scotland.
  • In comparison to the other eleven UK countries/regions, Scotland ranks sixth in terms of PNP as a percentage of GDP.

Page updated: Tuesday, March 26, 2013