image: Companies spent $294 billion on research and development performed in the United States during 2011, compared with $279 billion during 2010. view more
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According to a recent study published by the National Science Foundation (NSF), businesses spent more on research and development (R&D) in 2011 than they did in 2010.
Companies spent $294 billion on R&D performed in the United States during 2011, compared with $279 billion during 2010. Data are from the Business and R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDIS), which is co-sponsored by NSF and the U.S. Census Bureau.
BRDIS revealed that during 2011, companies in manufacturing industries performed $201 billion, or 68 percent, of domestic R&D. Companies in nonmanufacturing industries performed $93 billion of domestic R&D. For both types of industries, most of the funding came from the companies' own funds, about 81 percent.
The U.S. federal government was the chief source of outside funding for R&D across all industries. Of the $55 billion paid for by others, the federal government contributed $31 billion. The majority of this government funding, $26 billion, came from the Department of Defense.
U.S. companies that performed or funded R&D reported domestic net sales of $9 trillion in 2011, according to BRDIS. Manufacturing industries with high levels of R&D intensity in 2011 were pharmaceuticals and medicines, aerospace products and parts, and computer and electronic products.
Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) for more reports and other products.