Research spending remains stable in Switzerland
Companies and universities spent CHF24.6 billion ($27.2 billion) on research and development (R&D) activities in 2021, according to the latest figures.
A total of 140,000 people were involved in innovation projects, says a bi-annual survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
“By international comparison, Switzerland is one of the economies with the highest R&D intensity,” ranking fourth behind Israel, South Korea and the United States, the FSO said on Thursday.
R&D spending rose 4% since the last survey in 2019 with the lion’s share (68%) performed by companies or by universities (28%).
The remaining R&D spending was by federal and non-profit bodies.
The government contributes CHF6.6 billion to fund educational research.
As a result of Switzerland being demoted in the European Union’s Horizon Europe research programme, fewer academic funds flowed into international research projects than in 2019.
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