Business R&D in the ICT Sector: Examining the European ICT R&D Deficit
Two data sets are contrasted: country-level data (R&D performed by business in a particular sector and
country (BERD) and company-level data (R&D financed by a particular company regardless where
R&D investment is performed). About half of the overall EU vs. US R&D gap is in the information
and communications technologies (ICT) sector. In turn, this ICT R&D gap has two faces. Country data
suggest that the gap is largely intrinsic: the EU displays lower R&D intensities in several sub-sectors,
while ICT sector size and composition are quite similar. On the other hand, company data suggest that
the gap is instead structural: the sector size and composition of sub-sectors differ greatly, while R&D
intensities are similar. One major explanatory factor lies in international flows of R&D and value
added. Companies tend to allocate a larger share of their value added and a smaller share of R&D
outside their home markets. In the sub-sectors which include much larger and more numerous US
companies, these flows are unbalanced, and (BERD) R&D intensities are thus higher in the US than in
Europe, everything else being equal.
LINDMARK Sven;
ULBRICH Martin;
TURLEA Geomina;
2011-01-17
BEECH TREE PUBLISHING
JRC62832
0302-3427,
www.ingentaconnect.com/content/beech/spp,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC62832,
10.3152/030234210X508624,
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