Government funding in Research, Development and Innovation – Costing

A PER on public spending on research, development and innovation was conducted at the request of the DST. Data from a variety of sources were examined to try quantify the level of spending on R&D by government and its impact, but perhaps the most significant point to emerge is that exiting data — both on spending and output — are deficient, making it impossible to draw meaningful conclusions. Some recommendations are offered on how to improve this, but cautions are also offered about the extent to which the implementation of any such system would be worth the additional costs and potential conflict.