Press release 28.03.12
Six regions in the Basque Country exceeded the EU-27 percentage of expenditure on R&D over GDP
The greatest percentages of expenditure on R&D over GDP were produced in regions of Gipuzkoa, with Alto Deba particularly standing out
The Basque Country, with 2.08%, exceeded the EU-27 percentage of expenditure on R&D over GDP (2.00%) in 2010, with six of the twenty Basque regions standing out with values above that average, according to Eustat data. As in previous years, in 2010 the highest percentages of expenditure on Scientific Research and Technological Development (R&D) over GDP in the Basque Country were produced in regions in Gipuzkoa.
Thus, the region of Alto Deba, formed by the municipalities of Antzuola, Aretxabaleta, Elgeta, Eskoriatza, Arrasate/Mondragón, Oñate, Leintz-Gatzaga and Bergara, continued to be the indisputable leader in relation to regions that dedicated greater resources to expenditure on R&D in relation to GDP, standing at 4.69% in 2010. Also worthy of a mention are Bajo Deba (3.33%), el Goierri (2.92%) and Donostia-San Sebastián (2.68%).
The Basque Country as a whole, with 2.08% of expenditure on R&D in relation to GDP, exceeded both the average figure for the EU-27 as a whole (2.00%) and the Spanish average (1.39%).
Six regions exceeded the average EU-27 expenditure on R&D compared to GDP, with four of these in Gipuzkoa (those previously mentioned) and two in Bizkaia: Markina-Ondarroa, with 2.64%, and Gran Bilbao, with 2.07%, although this last one was situated below the Basque Country average.
Four regions in the Basque Country spent more than one-hundred million on R&D, accounting for more than 75% of the total.
In the Basque Country in 2010 a total of 1360 million euros was invested in Scientific Research and Technological Development (R&D) activities. As in previous years, there were four regions that surpassed expenditure of 100 million euros: Gran Bilbao (526 million), Donostia-San Sebastián (255 million), Llanada Alavesa (152 million) and Alto Deba (114 million). As a whole, they carried out 76.9% of the expenditure on R&D in the Basque Country, maintaining a similar percentage to the last few years.
Graph 2: Distribution of internal expenditure on R&D. Basque Country 2010 (millions €)
Source: Eustat. Statistics on research and technological development (I&D) of the Basque Country
There was not a large geographic dispersal of expenditure on R&D. By province, Álava was that which had the most concentrated resources dedicated to R&D in one region. Thus, with an internal expenditure of 152 million euros, 88.6% of the total expenditure of research in Álava was carried out in la Llanada Alavesa.
In Bizkaia, the region of Gran Bilbao stood out amongst the rest, with an expenditure of 526 million euros, which was 81.8% of R&D carried out in this province. Duranguesado, with 59 million euros dedicated to research, carried out 9.2% of research in Bizkaia.
Gipuzkoa, for its part, was the province with a greater geographic distribution regarding resources destined for R&D, with two of its regions exceeding 100 million of expenditure carried out. The region of Donostia-San Sebastián, with 255 million dedicated to research, accounted for 46.7% of expenditure in Gipuzkoa and the region of Alto Deba, with an investment of 144 million euros, accounted for 20.8%. The regions of Goierri and Bajo Deba also stood out, with 69 and 52 million, respectively, carrying out 12.6% and 9.6% of provincial expenditure.
As far as personnel in equivalent to full-time positions was concerned, the four regions that spent the most on R&D accounted for 78.0% of personnel (researchers, technicians and auxiliaries) who worked on research tasks.
The presence of women in the research sphere, for its part, exceeded the Basque Country average (33.4%) in the regions of Montaña Alavesa, Valles Alaveses, Gran Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastián, Llanada Alavesa and Markina-Ondarroa, in that order.
From the point of view of funding of R&D expenditure, companies in the Basque Country destined 734 million euros to research, 54% of the total whilst the public administration, with 542 million, funded 39.8%. The remainder was provided by higher education institutes (2.2%), other private institutions (0.3%) and by money originating from abroad (3.7%).
By regions, in those of Gran Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián, which are the ones that carried out the highest expenditure on R&D, is where there was a greater funding from the administration, 45.7% and 52.7%, respectively. On the other hand, they were also the ones that showed a smaller percentage of company funding, with 46.9% and 39.0%.
As regards the other two most significant regions in terms of expenditure, in Alto Deba and Llanada Alavesa company funding stood at 65.5% and 53.7%, respectively, and public funding accounted for 24.2% in the first case and 43.2% in the second.
As regards the scientific disciplines, all of the regions dedicated the greatest part of their resources to engineering and technology, apart from Montaña Alavesa, which dedicated 100% to medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Also particularly noteworthy were the exact and natural sciences in las Encartaciones (35.4%), in Donostia-San Sebastián (29.0%) and in los Valles Alaveses (25.1%). Regarding resources dedicated to agricultural sciences (including farming), las Encartaciones (26,8%), Gernika-Bermeo (18,4%) and la Rioja Alavesa (17,2) stood out.
For further information:
Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tel:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.eus
Contact: Pilar Vázquez Sancho
Tel:+34-945-01 75 46 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases on Technological Development and Scientific Research Statistics
Technological Development and Scientific Research Statistics Databank