Government funds for R&D decrease

If the 2007 appropriations are compared with 2006 using the price 2007 level, the decrease amounts to SEK 550 million. The share of R&D in the budget is 3.2 percent, which is the same as in 2006.

The main reasons for the decrease from 2006 to 2007 are restraints within the defence authorities regarding R&D activity and a change in the assessment of the R&D share of appropriations regarding business enterprises and international organisations.

A few large recipients

R&D appropriations are concentrated on a few large recipients. The largest group consists of higher education units which in total receive R&D appropriations to a sum of SEK 10 920 million. This represents 44 percent of the total R&D in the Government budget.

The Swedish Research Council is the largest civil recipient of R&D appropriations, receiving a full SEK 3 billion, while the different defence authorities receive almost four billion SEK.

R&D appropriations mainly directed towards general advancement of knowledge

R&D appropriations are also divided among socioeconomic objectives. Almost two thirds, SEK 15.7 billion, of the R&D in question has the objective "general advancement of knowledge". For example, all R&D performed within the higher education sector has this objective, together with a large part of the appropriations directed towards R&D funding authorities.

R&D with the objective "defence" amounts to a full SEK 4 billion, while R&D with the objective "mining, trade and industry" amounts to SEK 1.2 billion. No other objectives receive more than SEK 1 billion.

Appropriations for R&D in the Government budget 2007 by socioeconomic objective, SEK m, shares in percent