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 billion in total expenditure on R&D activities in 2020, equivalent to 1.62% of national GDP and a slight increase compared to the provisional data released in August, which pointed to a figure of 1.58%. These final results confirm that, in 2020, total R&D expenditure reached its highest ever level, growing by 8% (€244 million) compared to 2019, in a continuous growth in expenditure for the fifth consecutive year, which exceeds €3 billion for the first time.

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

This growth is associated with R&D expenditure by companies, which now represents 0.92% of GDP, totaling €1.844 billion in 2020, accounting for 57% of total R&D expenditure.

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

The number of researchers in the active population grew in 2020 to 10.3 researchers per thousand active workers, up from 9.6 in 2019. There were 53,174 full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, about 3,008 more than in 2019 (i.e., overall growth of 6%).

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

The total number of human resources in R&D activities (i.e., total number of researchers, technicians, and other professionals) reaches 12.8 people (FTE) per thousand active inhabitants, reaching 66,044 FTEs in 2020. The total number of human resources in R&D activities in companies also increased, totaling 30,872 FTEs in 2020, i.e., more than 4,079 than in 2019 (15% growth).

These figures are revealed by the final data from the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (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) is an annual census that has been conducted since 2007 (it was biennial since 1982) and constitutes the basis for official statistical information on human and financial resources allocated to R&D activities in Portugal.

Graph: source MCTES