Innovationsindikatoren Chemie 2013

The chemical industry in Germany is one of the most innovative sectors of the German economy. Four out of five chemical companies introduce innovations on a regular basis, and more than 60 per cent continuously conduct research and development (R&D). No other sector achieves higher shares. About 7 per cent of all employees in the chemical industry work in R&D. In the year 2013, the chemical industry in Germany plans to spend about €6.9 billion on the development and introduction of new products and processes, of which €4.1 billion are budgeted for R&D. Based on these figures, Germany is the world’s third largest location for R&D and innovation in the field of chemistry. Germany contributes 14 per cent to total business enterprise R&D expenditures in OECD countries; it is the origin of 16 per cent of all international patent applications in chemistry and about 7 per cent of all scientific publications in this field. Almost 10 per cent of global exports in R&D-intensive chemical goods originate from Germany. The share of sales spent on R&D (2011: 3.4 per cent) is one of the highest in all industrialised nations.

Gehrke, Birgit and Christian Rammer (2013), Innovationsindikatoren Chemie 2013, Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI), Mannheim und Hannover