Science gets major funding boost

Spending on research and development in the Czech Republic last year increased by a whopping CZK3.6 billion (US$142 million), according to a report from the Prague Daily Monitor based on recently released data from the Czech Statistical Office, writes Joanna Hughes for Master Studies.

According to the statistical office data, research and development expenditure grew by 4.2% year-over-year to reach CZK87 billion (US$3.4 billion). This spike also means the Czech Republic now outspends every other new European Union member on science in relation to the size of its economy except for Slovenia.

The number of research employees increased accordingly with 100,000 people now working in the field. The Czech Republic is now home to more than 2,800 research centres – primarily within the higher education sector. In particular, the country’s South Moravian region is booming thanks to several centres of excellence as well as businesses with rapidly growing research components. More than half of this research is paid for by the companies themselves, while a third comes from the state. The EU provides the remaining funds.
Full report on the Master Studies site