Romania’s research and development spending in 2015 was 0.49 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with research up 0.1 percentage point from the year before, 0.27 percent recorded in the public sector and 0.22 percent in the private sector, according to data released on Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INS).
Romania’s public research and development spending was standing at over 3.476 billion lei in 2015.
‘As of late 2015, the research and development sector was employing 43,448 staff, slightly up from late 2014. In 2015, research and development spending in four highly performing sectors exceeded 3.476 billion lei, 2,762 billion lei of which went for current spending, meaning 79.4 percent, and 714.8 million lei on capital spending, namely 20.6 percent. Capital spending to equip research and development facilities advanced 7.8 percent in 2015 from 2014,’ according to INS.
In 2015, applied research spending made up 50 percent of the total research and development spending, up 6 percentage points from 2014.
‘Fundamental research spending dropped by 5.3 percentage points in total research and development spending from 2014, namely from 35.3 percent to 30 percent. Experimental research spending declined 0.7 percent, from 20.7 percent to 20 percent. A breakdown by funding sources of total research and development spending shows public funds ranking first, with 41.7 percent, followed by enterprise sources, 37.3 percent,’ according to INS.
Research intensity, meaning total research and development spending to the Gross Domestic Product, was up 0.10 percent in 2015 from 2014.
By occupational classification, most of the R&D sector employees were researchers – 62.7 percent of the total, or 27,253 staff – down 282 staff from 2014. Technicians and equivalent staff made up 14.1 percent, or 6,126, of the total staff.