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News Release 14-002

NSF study details recent US research and development growth

glass recipients in a lab

U.S. research and development grew at a faster rate than the gross domestic product in 2011.


January 3, 2014

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

New data collected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) have resulted in an upward revision in the previously published 2011 U.S. research and development (R&D) performance total, and further expansion of U.S. R&D performance is indicated for 2012. These new data put U.S. R&D expenditures at $428.2 billion in 2011, an increase of $20.5 billion over 2010. The preliminary estimate of the 2012 U.S. total for R&D is $452.6 billion.

After accounting for inflation, R&D grew at a faster rate than the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011. Preliminary data for 2012 indicate similar findings. This growth is in marked contrast to data for 2009 and 2010, which showed essentially no growth in R&D, even while GDP did expand both years. The data showed that the renewed increase in business R&D contributed most significantly to the improved U.S. R&D numbers for 2011 and 2012.

For more information on this report, please contact Mark Boroush.

Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) for more reports and other products.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Deborah Wing, NSF, (703) 292-5344, email: dwing@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
Mark Boroush, NSF, (703) 292-8726, email: mboroush@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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