National Statistics Online - Articles - Research and experimental development
Articles Database
Research and experimental development
One of an annual series, this article brings together a range of ONS data, and aims to inform and stimulate debate.
This article is one of an annual series, the previous issue was published in the August 1999 edition of Economic Trends. Most of the figures have already been published by the Office for National Statistics, the Department of Trade and Industry (Office of Science and Technology) or the OECD.
The purpose of this report is to bring together a range of data produced & published by ONS in a single annual article and our aim is to continue to inform and stimulate debate within the Research and Development (R&D) community.
R&D is defined as creative work undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this knowledge to devise new applications.
Care should be exercised when using R&D statistics for economic analysis. R&D can lead to the technological inventions that are necessary for a successful innovative economy. However, such inventions are not a sufficient condition for success - many other economic and social factors are important. Undue weight should not be given to the economic significance of R&D's role as a generator of inventions. On the other hand, the economic benefit of R&D is not limited to that role: R&D develops skills and techniques that are important for any economy.
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