R&D Scoreboard 2013

Below is a chart of the 50 biggest companies that spent the most on R&D – courtesy of the The 2013 EU Industrial R&D Scoreboard.

I was a little surprised to see Volkswagen at the top.  I was also surprised to see Apple come in at #46.  I suppose it is more expensive to make advancements on large durable goods like cars than consumer hardware & software (but Microsoft is #3…).  It’s also worth noting that this only shows how much was spent – not how much was gained or returned on that investment.  For many this could be a case of “all thrust and not vector”.

 

Found via Business Insider