Analysis of the situation of the R&D and the innovation in Spain
After the recent publication by the INE of the Statistics on Activities of R&D (2012) and of the Survey on Innovation in the Spanish Companies (2012), and by part of the European Commission of the last data of Eurostat on science, technology and innovation and of the report '2013 EU Survey on R&D Investment Business Trends',
Presses conference on the situation of the R&D and the innovation in Spain, offered by the general director of Cotec, Juan Mulet.
Differences between the Statistics of R&D and the Survey of Innovation of the INE
In the first place, Juan Mulet has wanted to differentiate go in: the 'Statistical on Activities of R&D in Spain', that bases in the Manual of Frascati and includes the public R&D and the private R&D (so much intern like external) of all the companies, being the proxy more usual and reliable for data of investigation and innovation; and the 'Survey on Innovation in the Spanish Companies', that bases in the Manual of Oslo and is a survey of innovation only of companies of more than 10 employees. This Survey is relatively young and has changed several times of methodology, by what his results are still little reliable and difficult to contrast to international level.
Also has done to observe that the term 'R&D', entered for the first time by Spain, refers to results of the Statistics of R&D and of the Survey of Innovation in the Companies.
Data of innovation
A definition, coined by
Presses conference.
By branches of activity, the five sectors that more spent in innovation in 2012 were: Services of R&D (Cnae 72), Vehicles of engine (Cnae 29), Pharmacy (Cnae 21), Telecommunications (Cnae 61) and Programming, quality consultancy and other computer activities (Cnae 62). And by Autonomous Communities, the ten that registered in 2012 an elder spend allocated to the realisation of activities of technological innovation were: Madrid, Catalonia, Basque Country, Andalucia, Valencian Community, Galicia, Castile and Leon, Aragon, Navarra and Castile-La Mancha.
The general director of Cotec, Juan Mulet, called the attention on the important descent that has produced in the number of Spanish companies that have activities of innovation in Spain, that has reduced to the half, happening of 36.183 in 2008 to 18.077 in 2012, a fact that as it signalled concerns especially to the European Commission, such as it signalled it recently the Boss of the Centre of Competition for the Intelligent and Sustainable Growth of the DG Regal, Mikel Landabaso, in a meeting of the Club of Agents of Innovation of Cotec.
Data of R&D
The evolution of the total cost in R&D in Spain has been very important from 1994 until the beginning of the crisis in 2008, with annual half growths upper to 10%. With the crisis this first cost tight and afterwards begins to fall with descents in 2011, of the 2,5 %, and in 2012, with a fall of 5%.
When we compare the evolution from the beginning of the crisis of the cost in R&D like percentage of the GDP of Spain with the main countries of our surroundings, observes that while these last keep or even go up his cost, especially in Germany, in Spain this reduces increasingly although the GDP also has come diminishing during these years, exactly the contrary that occurred in the period of bonanza.
Regarding the origin of bottoms for activities of R&D, observes that the total public funds of the Politics 46 (P46) of R&D of the General Administration of the State (AGE) had a very strong growth between 2004 and 2009, but since have gone falling, especially in 2011. Although the no financial chapters of the P46 (chapters of the I to the VII) have had a more moderate evolution.
Analysing current values.
In the case of the Autonomous Communities, the P46 total has had a total growth more gradual that in the case of the AGE and also his fall has been more attenuated, in such a way that in 2013 practically the total amount of the Autonomous Communities for the P46 equalises to the no financial Chapters of the AGE.
The weight of the Politics 46 of R&D in the General Budgets of the State has fallen in 2013 practically to the levels of the year 2000. The public contribution of the activity of R&D of the companies has reduced 40% from the beginning of the crisis, happening of 1.447,8 million euros (the 17 %) in 2008 to 898 (12,7 %) in 2012.
Regarding the number of researchers, from 2008 in Spain his number in Equivalence to Complete Day (EJC) has kept practically the same in the private sector, whereas in the public sector, after going up slightly in 2010, has gone down in 2012. In the average of the EU-28, in 2012 the total number of researchers in EJC has gone up slightly, but more in the private sector. In Germany and France has increased the number of researchers during the crisis, with greater importance in the private sector.
The financial frame plurianual 2014-2020 of the European Union, offers to Spain the possibility to resort to community bottoms to fund his R&D and his innovation. The program Horizon 2020 could suppose a return for Spain of around 800 million annual euros in the period 2014-2020, to fund in competitive diet with the other states members with the projects of R&D.
But besides, of the 25.116 million euros of the Cohesion funds assigned to Spain for the period 2014-2020, the Spanish Government could devote more than 10.000 million euros to activities of innovation and helps to the SMEs through the strategies RIS3 (Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation). These strategies allow to the Autonomous Communities propose the fields of the projects of innovation that interest them, what supposes a big opportunity to develop politics of innovation really adapted to his productive fabrics.
