Australia’s Business Expenditures on R&D (BERD) increased 14.6% in current prices for the year ended June 30, 2008 to AUD 14,380 million ($12,517 million). The business sector contributed 95% of spending, the government sector contributed 3% and overseas sources provided 1%. Experimental development accounted for 62% of R&D spending, applied research for 32%, strategic basic research for 5% and pure basic research for 1%. By sector, manufacturing, mining, and professional, technical and scientific services accounted for 30%, 23% and 16% of R&D expenditures and rose 12.2%, 18.4% and 11.7%, respectively. By field of research, engineering, information and computer science, and medical health and sciences made up 55%, 26% and 6% of R&D spending. The proportion of human resources devoted to R&D were highest among industrial sectors for manufacturing at 37% and for professional, technical and scientific services at 28%.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics