R&D investment reached 3,203 million euros in 2020

Portugal recorded 3,203 million euros of total expenditure on R&D activities in 2020, representing 1.58% of national GDP according to the provisional results of the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN20). This figure represents an increase of 7% (211 million euros) compared to 2019, with continued growth in R&D investment for the fifth consecutive year.

More than 4,300 companies registered R&D activities in 2020, which meant an increase of 541, representing 14% more than in 2019. Business investment in R&D also grew again, up 15%, in 2019 it was 10%, with business expenditure on R&D activities accounting for 1,811 million euros in 2020, which translates into 0.89% of GDP and 57% of total expenditure.

The number of researchers in the working population grew in 2020, with 10.2 researchers per thousand working people, compared to 9.6 in 2019. 52,535 full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers were registered, around 2,369 more than in 2019. Higher education includes 28,732 FTE researchers, around 55%, while companies include 21,389, 41% of the total. The number of researchers in companies grew by 2,169 FTEs, an increase of 11% in 2020, and in the State sector, which includes State Laboratories, the number of researchers continues to represent around 3% of the total, with 1,601 FTEs.

Total human resources in R&D activities (i.e. total researchers, technicians and other professionals) reached 12.7 people (FTE) per thousand active inhabitants, reaching 65,356 FTE in 2020. In companies, the number of human resources in R&D activities also grew by more than 3,400 (an increase of 13%), totaling 30,206 FTEs in 2020.

These figures are revealed by provisional 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 Survey on National Scientific and Technological Potential (IPCTN) is a census operation that has been conducted annually 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. The final data will be released in due course by the DGEEC after final validation of all the results of this statistical operation.

Graph: source MCTES