This report presents the findings of the eigth survey on trends in industrial R&D investment. It analyses the 172 responses of mainly large firms from a subsample of 1000 EU-based companies in the 2012 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard. These 172 companies are responsible for R&D investment worth € 62 billion, constituting around 41% of the total R&D investment by the 1000 EU Scoreboard companies.

The main findings are as follows:

• The main conclusion is that, between 2013-15, the responding companies expect to increase their R&D investments by 2.6 % on average per year. Due to decreased expectations in the automobiles & parts sector, this is a third lower than in the previous survey. For some sectors, the expected R&D investment changes have increased compared to our previous surveys: electronic & electrical equipment (9 % p.a. over the next three years), general industrials (7 %), construction & materials (7 %), pharmaceuticals & biotechnology (4 %), and technology hardware & equipment (4 %). 
• The responding companies carry out a quarter of their R&D outside the EU. Their expectations for R&D investment for the next three years show continued participation of European companies in the global economy, in particular growth opportunities in emerging economies, while maintaining an R&D focus in the EU.
•  Two thirds of the European companies in the sample chose their home country as the most attractive location for R&D, and identified the US, Germany, China and India as the most attractive locations outside their home country.
• Knowledge-sharing, human resources, proximity to other company sites and market demand make countries attractive for R&D activities.
• Comparing the attractiveness for R&D activities of the surveyed companies among eight EU countries, quality of R&D personnel and knowledge-sharing opportunities with universities and public organisations are most frequently stated among the top three.
• Comparing the attractiveness of the EU to the US, geographic proximity is leading before knowledge sharing opportunities and R&D personnel.
• Comparing the attractiveness of the EU to the one of China and India, for the EU geographic proximity to other company sites and technology poles & incubators is a factor for attractiveness. For China and India proximity to suppliers is making these countries attractive.

• Press release: VW tops global R&D ranking, but EU companies put in mixed performance
• European Commission's MEMO/13/1000: What percentage of R&D spending do EU firms account for in the Scoreboard?