RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENDITURE IN CONTEXT OF EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY

The paper focuses on R&D expenditure in EU countries as a target of the Europe 2020 strategy. Expenditure on research and development (R&D) is analysed and evaluated more deeply by the sectors of performance and type of R&D activity in 19 selected EU countries, as the average of the period 2010-2015. The relations among the respective categories of R&D expenditure in the selected countries were tested by means of correlation analysis. The evaluation of R&D expenditure (total GBAORD as a % of total general government expenditure; R&D expenditure in the government sector % of GDP; R&D expenditure on basic research % of GDP; R&D expenditure on applied research % of GDP and R&D expenditure on experimental development % of GDP) as the average of the period 2010-2015 in the selected EU countries was performed by means of cluster analysis. Based on the selected indicators, the countries were divided into four clusters by their internal similarity. The biggest similarities were found in all countries in R&D expenditure in the government sector and R&D expenditure on basic research.