The UAE spends 107 billion on “research and development” in 7 years

The UAE has established its capacity regionally and globally in research and development, as it boosted its annual spending on research and development operations, and embodied the principle of true partnership between the private and public sectors in order to achieve its desired goals.

Recent data from the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics indicate an increase in spending on research and development from 0.7% of GDP in 2014 to 1.5% in 2020.

The data revealed that the UAE’s total spending on research and development operations within seven years (2014-2020) was 107 billion dirhams, and the private sector – (the business sector) accounted for the largest share of the total spending by 64%, representing 68.5 billion dirhams in 7 years. The government sector came second with 22%, with a value of 23.7 billion dirhams. Finally, the higher education sector is 14%, with a value of 14.7 billion dirhams.

The private sector spent on research and development services in 2020 about 11.07 billion dirhams, compared to 7.6 billion dirhams in 2014, a growth of 44%. Government spending on research and development also increased by 91% to about 5 billion dirhams 2020, compared to 2.6 billion dirhams in 2014. The expenditure of the higher education sector grew by a strong rate of 115% to reach 3 billion dirhams in 2020, compared to 1.4 billion dirhams in 2015. With regard to the total ( Total private and government sector spending and higher education) increased by 86% to more than 19 billion dirhams in 2020, compared to 10.3 billion dirhams in 2014.

workers

With regard to the number of workers in research and development, their number increased to about 39 thousand 2020, compared to 18.8 thousand in 2014, a growth of 107%.

Their numbers from the private sector jumped 174% to more than 30,000 in 2020, compared to 11.1 thousand in 2014, and their numbers from the government sector to 5,100 workers, compared to only 23 in 2014, and their numbers from the higher education sector to 3,300, compared to 7,685 in 2014. .