8112.0 - Research and Experimental Development, All Sector Summary, Australia, 2004-05  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 11/10/2006   
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MEDIA RELEASE

October 11, 2006
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
94/2006

Business, higher education push R&D spend to $15.8bn

Business and higher education were the biggest contributors in Australia's $15.8 billion outlay on research and experimental development (R&D) in 2004-05, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released today. This was an increase of 19% or $2.6 billion since 2002-03.

More than half ($8.4 billion or 54%) of this expenditure came from the business sector with higher education outlaying $4.3 billion (27%).

The business sector reported the strongest growth in R&D expenditure since 2002-03 (up $1.5 billion or 23%) followed by the higher education (up $0.9 billion or 25%) and private non-profit sectors (up $0.1 billion or 37%). Government sector expenditure on R&D increased by $69 million (2.8%).

Expenditure was highest in New South Wales ($5.0 billion) and Victoria ($4.3 billion), while Western Australia recorded the fastest growth since 2002-03 (up 57% to $1.7 billion).

The major sources of R&D funding in 2004-05 were business (52% or $8.1 billion) and the Commonwealth government (36% or $5.6 billion). These two sources also recorded the largest increases since 2002-03 (both up by more than 21%).

Between 2002-03 and 2004-05, Australia's expenditure on R&D as a proportion of GDP increased from 1.69% to 1.76%. This was below the OECD average of 2.26%.

Further information is in Research and Experimental Development, All Sector Summary, Australia, 2004-05 (cat. no. 8112.0).