The business sector performed research and development (R&D) to a value of NOK 24.8 billion in 2014; an increase of 10 per cent from 2013. At constant prices, the increase was 6.7 per cent. This growth is higher than in the EU and the other Nordic countries.

Strongest growth in the Nordic countries
The growth in business R&D activity in Norway is strong in an international context. Performed R&D man-years in Norway, including industry-oriented research institutes, were 8.7 per cent higher in 2014 than in 2013. The corresponding figure for the EU was 2.6 per cent. The growth was also lower in the other Nordic countries. Both Sweden and Denmark had a weak growth, around 1.5 per cent, while the negative trend continued for Finnish business enterprises with a decline of 2.5 per cent from 2013. Taking the period 2005-2014 as a whole, the growth in Norway and the EU has been approximately equal, and clearly higher than the other Nordic countries.

If we look at R&D expenditure as a share of the GDP, the share for Norway is lower than for both the EU and the other Nordic countries. The Norwegian business sector's share is 0.9 per cent, while the share for EU28 is 1.3 per cent, and Finland, Sweden and Denmark are around 2 per cent. However, the trend for Norway is upwards, while the other Nordic countries have the opposite trend.

Highest real growth since 2001
Measured in constant prices, the R&D expenditures in the business enterprise sector were 6.7 per cent higher in 2014 than in 2013. This is the highest real growth recorded since 2001. There has been a sustained real growth of 16 per cent in the industry’s R&D expenditures since 2010. The financial crisis resulted in a fall in the R&D activity in 2009 and 2010, but also in the years before the financial crisis there was a real growth for several years.

Norway's total R&D efforts
The total R&D expenditures for Norway were NOK 53.9 billion in 2014. In addition to the business enterprise sector, R&D activity worth NOK 16.7 million was carried out in the higher education sector and NOK 12.3 million in the research institute sector.

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Photo: Yngve Ask/Innovation Norway