The Global Pattern of R&D is Changing

The new Economist has an article on international patterns of research and development spending:

Every year around $1 trillion is spent on research and development (R&D) in computing, telecoms and electronics; America accounts for over one-third. But while corporate R&D in America and Europe grew by 1-2% between 2001 and 2006, in China it soared 23%. China is now close to surpassing Japan in total research spending, from almost nothing a decade ago. And as a percentage of GDP, China’s corporate R&D spending is almost on a par with the European Union’s (around 1%).

The OECD’s numbers show that Taiwan now has more high-tech researchers than Britain. And a list of the world’s 250 biggest technology firms shows that Taiwanese companies spend more on R&D than British and Canadian ones.