The most recent data for investments in Research & Development (R&D) show that Flanders is among the top 5 European countries or regions. In 2018, Flanders spent 7.9 billion euros on R&D or 2.92% of GDP. This is well above the European average of 2.03% and brings Flanders close to top countries such as Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
"In the coming years, innovation will become even more important. We are adding 250 million euros for R&D grantss and we are also allocating an additional 195 million euros for R&D infrastructure. With this, we finally want to exceed the 3% threshold," says Minister of Science and Innovation Hilde Crevits.
70% of R&D activities take place in companies and 30% in the public sector, including higher education. A ratio that remains fairly constant over the years. Nearly 54,000 full-time employees are working in R&D in Flanders.
