Lowest Public Research Investment in Europe: Romania Lags Behind Other EU Nations in Funding for Scientific Research
Lowest Budget for Research in EU? Romania Struggles Amid Economic Constraints
Pouring over a recent infographic from Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Romania, we find a troubling statistic: Romania allocates the least amount of its GDP to scientific research among EU member states. In 2023, the figure stands at a paltry 0.38%, ranking Romania last in EU investment in research and development.
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The picture isn't any brighter when we compare Romania to its Central and Eastern European peers. Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Lithuania all allocate more of their GDP to research, with differences that are hard to ignore. The gap grows even wider when comparing Romania to Western European nations like Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden.
The report delved into government funding for research and development as a percentage of GDP and highlighted the persisting financial shortage in this sector for Romania.
The situation isn't just about money, though. Romania also lags behind in terms of employment in the research and development sector within the EU. In 2022, the country counted only 29,837 researchers, with 16,078 being men and 13,759 women. This amounts to a mere 0.25% of total employment in 2022 and 0.27% in 2023, leaving Romania at the bottom of the EU rankings.
Eurostat shows that most of Romania's researchers work in the government sector, with small island nations such as Malta and Cyprus having a higher percentage of researchers within their workforce. Bulgaria and Hungary also outdo Romania while Eastern European countries such as Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia are far ahead.
Economic challenges, prioritization of other sectors, and EU funding distribute the blame for Romania's limited resources dedicated to research. The country faces a widening budget deficit and is under the EU's excessive deficit procedure, which may leave less room for critical sectors like research[3]. Additionally, the budget for education in Romania, though increasing, may not leave much breathing space for substantial increases in research funding[5].
The reliance on EU research programs such as Horizon Europe offers some support but comes with competition for funds[4]. National budget allocations may stay lower due to reliance on these external funds, and Romania's success rates in securing funding may not be as high as some of its fellow EU members.
In essence, while Romania may not explicitly have the lowest research budget allocation, it's clear that economic constraints and competitive funding environments could contribute to lower allocations compared to economically robust or research-intensive EU member states. Time will tell if Romania can turn this around.
(Source of the image: Lukeqiang from Dreamstime.com)
Sources:
- Latest infographic
- Romania's allocation for 2023
- Economic challenges and budget deficit
- EU research programs
- Budget for education in Romania
- In 2023, Romania's allocation for scientific research stands at 0.38% of its GDP, the lowest among EU member states, as highlighted by the Social Monitor project of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Romania.
- Compared to its Central and Eastern European peers, Romania lags behind in research and development investment, with countries like Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Lithuania allocating more of their GDP to research.
- In addition to financial shortages, Romania also struggles with low employment in the research and development sector within the EU, with only 29,837 researchers in 2022, leaving Romania at the bottom of the EU rankings.
- Despite relying on external funds like Horizon Europe, Romania may face lower national budget allocations for research due to competition for funds and the country's economic constraints, which could lead to lower allocations compared to economically robust or research-intensive EU member states.
