Final results of the Survey on National Scientific and Technological Potential (IPCTN20)

The final results of the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN20) reveal that Portugal reached 3,236 million euros in total expenditure on R&D activities in 2020, which is equivalent to 1.62% of national GDP and a slight increase on the provisional data released in August, which pointed to a record of 1.58%. These definitive results confirm that in 2020, total R&D expenditure reached an all-time high, growing by 8% (244 million euros) compared to 2019, in a continuous growth of expenditure for the fifth consecutive year, which exceeds three billion euros for the first time.

This growth is particularly significant in the business sector, which grew by 17% in 2020 (i.e. 273 MEuros). More than 4,300 companies registered R&D activities in 2020, which meant an increase of 541, representing 14% more than in 2019.

The growth is associated with R&D spending by companies, which now represents 0.92% of GDP, totaling 1,844 million euros in 2020, making up 57% of total R&D spending.

The value of total R&D expenditure corresponds to an increase of 8.1% compared to 2019. Portugal is now the second country in the European Union with the highest absolute growth rate in millions of euros.

The number of researchers in the active population grew in 2020 with 10.3 researchers per thousand active, compared to 9.6 in 2019. 53,174 full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers were registered, around 3,008 more than in 2019 (i.e. an overall growth of 6%),

Higher education includes 28,740 FTE researchers, representing around 54% of the total, while companies include 21,979 FTE researchers, now representing 41% of the total. The number of researchers in companies increases by 2,759 FTEs, representing an increase of 13% in 2020.

Total human resources in R&D activities (i.e. total researchers, technicians and other professionals) reached 12.8 people (FTE) per thousand active inhabitants, reaching 66,044 FTE in 2020. Total human resources in R&D activities in companies also increased, totaling 30,872 FTE in 2020, which is 4,079 more than in 2019 (an increase of 15).

These figures are revealed by the final data from the Survey on National Scientific and Technological Potential (IPCTN) for 2020, published by the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), based on methodologies harmonized internationally by EUROSTAT and the OECD.

The National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN) has been an annual census operation since 2007 (it had been biennial since 1982), and is the basis for official statistical information on human and financial resources allocated to R&D activities in Portugal.

Graph: source MCTES