2017欧盟企业研发投资排行榜报告（英文版）_116页_4mb

2017 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard Summary

Core Content

The 2017 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard presents a comprehensive analysis of R&D investment trends among the world's top 2500 industrial R&D investors, including 567 EU companies, 822 US companies, 365 Japanese companies, 376 Chinese companies, and 370 from the rest of the world (RoW). These companies collectively invested €741.6 billion in R&D in 2016/17, representing approximately 90% of global business-funded R&D. The report highlights the performance of these companies across various indicators such as R&D investment, sales, profits, and employment, as well as the structural differences in R&D by industry and region.

Main Highlights

• Global R&D Growth: The total R&D investment of the top 2500 companies increased by 5.8% compared to the previous year, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth. The ICT services sector was the main driver of this increase with a 11.7% rise.
• EU Performance: EU companies increased R&D by 7.0%, which is above the global average but slightly below the US (7.2%). In contrast, Japanese companies saw a -3.0% decline in R&D investment.
• Economic Indicators: Sales only grew by 0.1%, while operating profits rose by 8.7% and employment increased by 1.7%. However, capital expenditures (Capex) fell by 6.2%.
• R&D Intensity: Overall R&D intensity (R&D as a % of sales) was 4.1%, while profitability stood at 9.5%.
• Top R&D Investors: Volkswagen (Germany) was the top R&D investor for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Alphabet (US) and Microsoft (US). The top 50 companies included 16 EU and 30 from the top 100.

Key Findings

• Sectoral and Regional Differences: The sector composition of R&D investments varied significantly across regions. The EU had the largest share in Automotive (44%), ICT (19.5%), and Health (23.2%). The US dominated in ICT (49.2%) and Health (26.5%), while China had a strong presence in ICT (44.1%).
• EU vs. Non-EU Performance: The EU showed positive R&D growth in Automotive, ICT, and Health, while non-EU companies were led by ICT and Health as well. However, Aerospace & Defence and Chemicals showed negative contributions to R&D growth in the EU, whereas they were positive in non-EU countries.
• Productivity Gaps: The most productive firms in the EU were in Chemicals, Industrials, and low-tech sectors, while US firms were more productive in Health and ICT. The productivity gap between top and bottom performers was 3–7 times in terms of sales per employee.
• Patent Analysis: ICT-related technologies were a major focus. Only 25% of EU patents were related to digital technologies, while 81% of Chinese patents were ICT-related, 37% of US, and 33% of Japanese. EU companies were strong in Electronic measurement and Sensor and device network.
• Scientific Publications: The Scoreboard companies were actively engaged in scientific publications, especially in ICT, Software, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech. There was a positive correlation between R&D investment and scientific output.
• EU Share of Global R&D: The EU's share of global R&D remained stable at 26% over the 2007–2016 period, while the US increased slightly to 40%, and Japan decreased from 24% to 16%. China and RoW saw significant increases in R&D share.
• Company Dynamics: The top 50 R&D investors included 16 EU and 22 US companies, with 10 from Asia and 2 from Switzerland. The EU/non-EU gap widened in Biotechnology, Software, and IT-hardware sectors.

Methodology and Coverage

• The Scoreboard collects data from 2933 companies, including the top 1000 R&D investors in the EU.
• The dataset is based on parent or independent companies to avoid double counting, and subsidiary data are also included for a more detailed analysis.
• Data collection is based on annual reports and financial disclosures, with some countries having more consistent data than others.
• The methodology has remained consistent since 2004, and the data are freely accessible at: http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu/scoreboard17.html

Conclusion

The 2017 Scoreboard highlights the EU's strong R&D performance in key sectors such as Automotive, ICT, and Health, but also points out persistent weaknesses in Biotechnology, Software, and IT-hardware. It underscores the importance of R&D in driving innovation and competitiveness and emphasizes the need for strategic investment in high-tech sectors to close the gap with the US and other global leaders.