43 business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology

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.

Stéphane Montenache

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