Cover of higher education & research in France, facts and figures

📄 Source:MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES.

 Coverage:Whole of France.

The data presented here are taken from the annual survey of 11,000 firms on the resources they devote to R&D. Since 2000, this survey has asked firms what proportion (%) of their intramural R&D expenditure they devote to new materials and nanotechnology.

A field of research is a multidisciplinary area of R&D that may be carried out in several different research branches. The R&D carried out by a particular firm may fall within several fields of research. The intramural R&D expenditure incurred by that firm is therefore assigned to the field of research in question, according to the percentage of expenditure declared by firms for each field.

This analysis focuses on two fields:

new materials, whether they are new for the market or for the business.

nanotechnology, which covers all technologies that make it possible to manipulate, study or use very small structures and systems of less than 100 nanometres.

A firm is said to be active in one of these fields if it devotes a proportion of its intramural R&D expenditure to it.

A business is said to be dedicated in one of these fields if it devotes more than 75% of its intramural R&D expenditure to it.

A research branch is a branch of economic activity that benefits from R&D. 32 categories are described here, based on the second version of the French classification of activities (NAF Rev. 2).

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43 business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology

This page has been updated. Read 42. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology in Higher education & research in France, facts and figures 10th edition - June 2017

In 2013, nearly a quarter of firms in France that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology. Overall research expenditure in these two fields was €3.5 billion in 2013, or 11.4% of total BERD.

In 2013, 23% of firms in France that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology. Overall research expenditure in these two fields was €3.5 billion in 2013, or 11.4% of total BERD (business enterprise intramural expenditure on R&D). This amount was €3.1 billion in 2012.

In 2013, as in 2012, 21% of R&D firms were involved in research into new materials (table 43.01). The total R&D expenditure on new materials was €2.7 billion for 2013, accounting for 24% of all intramural business enterprise expenditure on R&D (BERD). When expenditure is broken down by industrial branch, the ‘Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products’ continues to take the lead, accounting for 13% of all R&D expenditure devoted to this field (chart 43.02), followed by the ‘Manufacture of electronic components’ (10%).

In 2013, as in 2012, 4% of R&D firms were involved in research into nanotechnology. Their expenditure was more modest overall, totalling €800 million in 2013 (as compared with €800 million in 2013, or 2.6% of all BERD (chart 43.02).

Over half of expenditure on nanotechnology research (55%) was devoted to the ‘Manufacture of electronic components and boards, computers and peripheral equipment’ research branch.

There are relatively few small businesses active in the field of new materials: in 2013, only 34% had less than 20 employees, compared to 50% for all R&D companies and 52% for those active in nanotechnology. Furthermore, 46% of companies active in new materials had at least 50 employees, compared to 30% of all R&D companies and 34% of companies active in nanotechnology (chart 43.03).

Comparatively, in nanotechnology, more small businesses spend money on R&D. In 2013, 66% of companies active in R&D had fewer than 50 employees. The proportion of companies in this personnel band was significantly the same in France as in South Korea (62% in 2012). By contrast, this category was more strongly represented in Germany, where 75% of companies active in nanotechnology had fewer than 50 employees (2012 data) and the United States (73% in 2012) 1.

Companies dedicated to these two fields are, on average, smaller structures than R&D companies as a whole (190 people for companies dedicated to new materials and 50 people for companies dedicated to nanotechnology, compared to 220 people for all R&D companies).

Companies dedicated to new materials represented around 10% of all R&D companies. They devoted nearly all their BERD, i.e. €1.4 billion in 2013, to new materials. Companies dedicated to nanotechnology represented very few of all R&D companies (0.9%). They also devoted nearly all their BERD, i.e. a little under €0.3 billion in 2013, to nanotechnology.

 Coverage:Whole of France.

1 OECD, Key nanotechnology indicators, Juillet 2015, http://www.oecd.org/fr/sti/nanotechnology-indicators.htm

How to cite this paper :

MONTENACHE Stéphane. Business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology. In: Higher education & research in France, facts and figures - 50 indicators [online]. KABLA-LANGLOIS Isabelle (dir.). Paris: Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, 2016. 9th ed. Chapter 43 [Accessed 03/28/2024]. ISBN 978-2-11-151572-7. https://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/9EN/EESR9EN_R_43-business_r_d_in_new_materials_and_nanotechnology-ILL_02.php

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The data presented here are taken from the annual survey of 11,000 firms on the resources they devote to R&D. Since 2000, this survey has asked firms what proportion (%) of their intramural R&D expenditure they devote to new materials and nanotechnology.

A field of research is a multidisciplinary area of R&D that may be carried out in several different research branches. The R&D carried out by a particular firm may fall within several fields of research. The intramural R&D expenditure incurred by that firm is therefore assigned to the field of research in question, according to the percentage of expenditure declared by firms for each field.

This analysis focuses on two fields:

new materials, whether they are new for the market or for the business.

nanotechnology, which covers all technologies that make it possible to manipulate, study or use very small structures and systems of less than 100 nanometres.

A firm is said to be active in one of these fields if it devotes a proportion of its intramural R&D expenditure to it.

A business is said to be dedicated in one of these fields if it devotes more than 75% of its intramural R&D expenditure to it.

A research branch is a branch of economic activity that benefits from R&D. 32 categories are described here, based on the second version of the French classification of activities (NAF Rev. 2).

 

Key figures


Share of business enterprises working in new materials
21.3%
 
2012
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Coverage: Compared with active firms in new materials
Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES
Share of business enterprises specialising in new materials
9.6%
 
2013
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Coverage: Compared with active firms in new materials
Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D in new materials
2.7 bn
 
2013
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES
Share of business enterprises working in nanotechnology
3.7%
 
2013
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Coverage: Compared with active nanotechnology firms
Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES
  See more key figures  
Share of business enterprises specialising in nanotechnology
0.9%
 
2013
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Coverage: Compared with active nanotechnology firms
Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D in nanotechnology
800 M
 
2013
Whole of France
 
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Extract from the chapter "43. business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology".

Source: MENESR-DGESIP/DGRI-SIES

43.01 Data on business R&D in the fields of new materials and nanotechnology in 2013

 
All firms New materials Nanotechnology
Active firms Dedicated firms Active firms Dedicated firms
% of all firms carrying out R&D (number of firms) 100.0 21.3 9.6 3.7 0.9
% of all firms carrying out R&D (number of employees - headcount) 100.0 44.1 8.2 11.7 0.2
Average number of employees (per firm) 220 460 190 690 50
GERD
Total (€M) 30,700 10,900 1,500 3,700 300
Average (per firm in €M) 1.7 2.9 0.9 5.6 1.8
Average R&D intensity (€k) 1 22.2 17.2 15.2 33.9 39.2
GERD devoted to R&D in these fields
Total (€M) 2,700 1,400 800 300
Average (per firm in €M) 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.7
Proportion of GERD devoted to these fields (%) 2 24.3 95.5 21.8 91.9
 

1 Average of the ratio (GERD/Number of employees).
2 All figures for GERD are rounded off to the nearest €100,000. However, the ratios are calculated using non-rounded data.

 Coverage: Whole of France.

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43.02 Breakdown by research branch of R&D expenditure by active firms in the fields of new materials and nanotechnology in 2013 (%)

New materials
Nanotechnology
  
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
Manufacture of electronic components and boards, computers and peripheral equipment
Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery
Specialised scientific and technical activities
Manufacture of instruments and appliances for measuring
Others
 
 

Expenditure is categorised using a classification system of 32 branches. Only the top four branches (in terms of expenditure) are shown for each of the fields in question.

 Coverage: Whole of France.

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43.03 Breakdown by number of employees of active firms in new materials and nanotechnology in 2013 (%)

250 employees and more
50-249 employees
20-49 employees
Fewer than 20 employees
  
All R&D firms
New materials
Nanotechnology
 
 
 Coverage: Whole of France.

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Other editions

Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheHigher education & research in France, facts and figures 10th edition - June 2017
42 - business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology - Stéphane Montenache
In 2014, 20% of firms in France that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology. Overall research expenditure in these two fields was €3.6 billion in 2014, or 11.7% of total BERD [Consult the following page]
Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheHigher education & research in France, facts and figures 8th edition - November 2015
42 - business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology - Stéphane Montenache
In 2012, nearly a quarter of firms in France (23%) that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology, an increase on the previous year. In the field of new materials, the chemicals industry remained the leading branch in terms of expenditure incurred. R&D in nanotechnology mostly involved small enterprises and was primarily focused on the ‘Manufacture of electronic components and boards’ branch [Consult the following page]

Translation

 Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheL'état de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche en France n°9 - Juin 2016
43 - la R&D en nouveaux matériaux et en nanotechnologies dans les entreprises - Stéphane Montenache
En France, en 2013, près d’un quart des entreprises de R&D engagent des dépenses intérieures de R&D dans les domaines des nouveaux matériaux ou des nanotechnologies. La dépense de recherche globale associée à ces deux domaines s’élève à 3,5 milliards d'euros (Md€) en 2013, soit 11,4  % de l’ensemble de la DIRDE [Consult the following page in french]


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