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Government budget appropriations or outlays for Research and Experimental Development 2015:

Fewer funds to R&D for energy and defence

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2015-04-14 9.30

Statistics Sweden’s forecast for R&D funds in the government budget shows that appropriations for R&D will decrease by SEK 184 million in 2015 compared to 2014, at the price level of 2015. In total, R&D funds amount to SEK 33.1 billion in 2015.

A noticeable decrease occurs within the areas of expenditure Energy and Defence and contingency measures, by SEK 201 million and 158 million respectively. Meanwhile, R&D funds increase within other areas such as Education and research. The total increase in R&D funds assigned to Education and research amounts to SEK 114 million, of which a larger part is directed to the Swedish Research Council and space research.

Higher education sector receives half of all R&D funds

R&D appropriations are concentrated to a few large recipients. The largest group consists of higher education institutes which in total receive 50 percent of R&D appropriations in the government budget, or SEK 16.6 billion. This is more or less the same level as in 2014. R&D appropriations to the Swedish Research Council (the largest civil recipient of R&D appropriations) are expected to increase by SEK 53 million in 2015. Along with the higher education institutes, the Swedish Research Council receives R&D appropriations of SEK 22.5 billion in total. The various defence authorities receive SEK 1.1 billion, or 3 percent of the total R&D appropriations, which can be compared to 7 percent in 2010.

Most funding to general advancement of knowledge within medical and health sciences

The R&D funding is divided up in terms of the objectives of the R&D. The objective for general advancement of knowledge receives the absolute largest part of the appropriations, 72 percent of the R&D funds in the government budget. Higher education institutes and the Swedish Research Council are the main recipients of funding with this objective. The objective for general advancement of knowledge is divided into 6 sub-categories amongst which medicine and health science receives the largest share of R&D funding (34%), followed by natural science (28%).

Definitions and explanations

Research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts, with or without any particular application or use in view.

Development is systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained fromresearch and/or practical experience, which is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those already produced or installed. R&D covers both formal R&D in R&D units and informal or occasional R&D in other units.

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Statistical agency and producer

Statistics Sweden, Innovation, Business sector production and Research section

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