Revision

CBS has revised the R&D statistic, which has resulted in a revision of the indicators for the years 2013 up to and including 2017. The revision is a response to changes in the international guidelines for compiling R&D statistics (OECD, 2015). The most important changes concern:

— A clear separation between R&D using hired personnel and fully outsourced R&D. R&D activities undertaken by hired personnel are part of a company’s own R&D. This has resulted in an upward adjustment.
— The implementation of a lower limit of 0.1 FTEs before a person’s activities can be counted towards R&D. This has resulted in a downward adjustment, which in terms of size is much smaller than the adjustment mentioned under the previous item.
— The demarcation of the public and private sectors has been brought into line with international guidelines for the national accounts. This has led to an increase in R&D expenditure in the private sector and a proportionate decrease in the public sector.

The most up-to-date sources and methods have been used in the revision of the statistic.