ARTICLE OUTPUT CITATIONS SCIENCE SPENDING United In 2003, the EU produced one-third of the Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland lead Europe’s countries have 500 States Iceland world’s papers*, but by 2018 — because of the world in citation impact; almost 16% of their increased their spending faster growth in other countries — that respective papers are in the world’s top 10%*. on research and proportion had shrunk to one-quarter. The EU13 countries are improving rapidly — development (R&D) by particularly Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania. more than 5% per year 400 EU28 EU28 Rest of Europe in real terms since Europe United States China Other EU15 EU13 Rest of Europe 2000. But China is quickly overtaking them. 300 2003 Total: 1.2 million 2010 2016 In absolute terms, China EU member states: The spends around EU15: before 2004 Netherlands two-thirds of what the China 16 EU13: joined since 2004 2018 2.6 million EU does on R&D, but Finland has passed the bloc in 200 Switzerland Other European Norway Sweden terms of purchasing Denmark power, which adjusts for US$, billions) Current countries EU15 EU13 United ( dierences in costs. Germany Estonia Kingdom = 1 paper per Germany Italy Europe’s share of world 100 14 10,000 population R&D spending has shrunk from around Latvia France SOURCE: SCIENCE-METRIX/SCOPUS 28% in 2000 to 23% Denmark United EU15 Italy in 2016. power spending adjusted for purchasing Research 0 average Lithuania Kingdom Spain 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 The United Netherlands 12 Germany Ireland Kingdom Belarus 9 Russia RESEARCH Poland Germany World ECONOMY Israel Belgium 10 The EU’s 28 member average Denmark Czech Rep. Ukraine states spent around Sweden Luxembourg €320 billion on R&D in Slovakia 2017; public spending Finland Moldova was around 40% of this, South France Austria Estonia Korea Percentage of articles in the Percentage world’s top 10% cited papers taking into account Hungary 8 funds from the EU’s 6 Austria Switzerland Switzerland Slovenia central budget. Sweden, Croatia Romania Austria, Denmark, Belgium Georgia United Azerbaijan Germany and Japan Portugal BH Serbia Switzerland lead the Kingdom Poland world in terms of the United 6 Spain Mon. Bulgaria States Kos Armenia share of their economies devoted to research Italy NM Latvia Albania EU13 (behind Israel and South Korea). But the EU13 average 3 Turkey Lithuania countries invest smaller EU28 4 shares. The Nordic countries have the Total R&D Rep., Republic; Germany BH, Bosnia and Herzegovina; highest researcher (per 1,000 population) Density of researchers (US$, billions) Mon., Montenegro; Kos., Kosovo; density, relative to their Greece NM, North Macedonia. R&D spending. China 100 Malta Cyprus Nature publications remain neutral with regard to contested jurisdictional France 20 claims in published maps. 2 EU15 EU13 5 *Papers assigned to countries fractionally by authors. Rest of Europe 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 R&D as percentage of gross domestic product OPEN ACCESS REGIONAL A group of mainly European funders has said DIFFERENCES that, from 2020, their articles must be open R&D spending diers BY access on publication — under ‘Plan S’. In 2017, greatly not only by 47% of Europe’s research articles were free to country, but also within read — compared with the world’s 41%. each. This map shows The Braunschweig how spending per region in Germany Open-access journal inhabitant is much (spending €3,737 per Hybrid journal higher in particular inhabitant on research) Free at publisher’s site regions, including is the EU’s most THE Free only in a repository prosperous Scandinavia, research-intensive area. parts of southern England, the Benelux EUROPE Europe is a diverseNUMBERS patchwork of countries at dierent stages of scientic Croatia e region already hosts countries, southern development — from the research-intensive Nordic region, through the United Kingdom Germany, Austria and some of the world’s leading science powerhouses of Germany, the United Kingdom and France, to former Norway Switzerland. There is a communist states trying to strengthen their research bases and countries Poland poorer and less that extend into Asia. All that diversity feeds a common goal. The European research-intensive scientific countries, and The Netherlands periphery to the east Union, a bloc of 28 member states and more than 500 million people, has Europe and south. some of its smaller states put science and innovation at the heart of its societal and economic Italy development. It funds large, Greece R&D spending No data per inhabitant are quickly catching up. pan-European research programmes World that extend wider than the EU itself United States SCIENCE IN EUROPE Low High and support collaborative research ANature special issue 0 20 40 60 BY RICHARD VAN NOORDEN AND DECLAN BUTLER and mobility across the bloc. go.nature.com/europe Free-to-read share of papers published in 2017 (%) 470 | NATURE | VOL 569 | 23 MAY 2019 ©2019 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All ri ghts reserved. ©2019 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All ri ghts reserved. FEATURE NEWS ARTICLE OUTPUT CITATIONS SCIENCE SPENDING United In 2003, the EU produced one-third of the Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland lead Europe’s countries have 500 States Iceland world’s papers*, but by 2018 — because of the world in citation impact; almost 16% of their increased their spending faster growth in other countries — that respective papers are in the world’s top 10%*. on research and proportion had shrunk to one-quarter. The EU13 countries are improving rapidly — development (R&D) by particularly Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania. more than 5% per year 400 EU28 EU28 Rest of Europe in real terms since Europe United States China Other EU15 EU13 Rest of Europe 2000. But China is quickly overtaking them. 300 2003 Total: 1.2 million 2010 2016 In absolute terms, China EU member states: The spends around EU15: before 2004 Netherlands two-thirds of what the China 16 EU13: joined since 2004 2018 2.6 million EU does on R&D, but Finland has passed the bloc in 200 Switzerland Other European Norway Sweden terms of purchasing Denmark power, which adjusts for US$, billions) Current countries EU15 EU13 United ( dierences in costs. Germany Estonia Kingdom = 1 paper per Germany Italy Europe’s share of world 100 14 10,000 population R&D spending has shrunk from around Latvia France 28% in 2000 to 23% Denmark United EU15 Italy in 2016. power spending adjusted for purchasing Research 0 average Lithuania Kingdom Spain 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 The 12 United Netherlands SCIENCE-METRIX/SCOPUS; CITATIONS: SOURCES: Germany Ireland Kingdom Belarus 9 Russia RESEARCH Poland Germany World ECONOMY Israel Belgium 10 The EU’s 28 member average Denmark Czech Rep. Ukraine states spent around Sweden Luxembourg €320 billion on R&D in Slovakia 2017; public spending Finland Moldova was around 40% of this, South France Austria Estonia Korea Percentage of articles in the Percentage world’s top 10% cited papers taking into account Hungary UNESCO/EUROSTAT/OECD ECONOMY: RESEARCH SCIENCE SPENDING: UNESCO/OECD; 8 funds from the EU’s 6 Austria Switzerland Switzerland Slovenia central budget. Sweden, Croatia Romania Austria, Denmark, Belgium Georgia United Azerbaijan Germany and Japan Portugal BH Serbia Switzerland lead the Kingdom Poland world in terms of the United 6 Spain Mon. Bulgaria States Kos Armenia share of their economies devoted to research Italy NM Latvia Albania EU13 (behind Israel and South Korea). But the EU13 average 3 Turkey Lithuania countries invest smaller EU28 4 shares. The Nordic countries have the Total R&D Rep., Republic; Germany BH, Bosnia and Herzegovina; highest researcher (per 1,000 population) Density of researchers (US$, billions) Mon., Montenegro; Kos., Kosovo; density, relative to their Greece NM, North Macedonia. R&D spending. China 100 Malta Cyprus Nature publications remain neutral with regard to contested jurisdictional France 20 claims in published maps. 2 EU15 EU13 5 *Papers assigned to countries fractionally by authors. Rest of Europe 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 R&D as percentage of gross domestic product OPEN ACCESS REGIONAL A group of mainly European funders has said DIFFERENCES that, from 2020, their articles must be open R&D spending diers BY access on publication — under ‘Plan S’. In 2017, greatly not only by 47% of Europe’s research articles were free to country, but also within read — compared with the world’s 41%. each. This map shows The Braunschweig how spending per region in Germany Open-access journal inhabitant is much (spending €3,737 per Hybrid journal higher in particular inhabitant on research) Free at publisher’s site regions, including is the EU’s most THE Free only in a repository prosperous Scandinavia, research-intensive area. parts of southern England, the Benelux EUROPE Europe is a diverseNUMBERS patchwork of countries at dierent stages of scientic Croatia e region already hosts countries, southern development — from the research-intensive Nordic region, through the United Kingdom Germany, Austria and some of the world’s leading science powerhouses of Germany, the United Kingdom and France, to former Norway Switzerland. There is a communist states trying to strengthen their research bases and countries Poland poorer and less that extend into Asia. All that diversity feeds a common goal. The European research-intensive scientific countries, and The Netherlands periphery to the east Union, a bloc of 28 member states and more than 500 million people, has Europe and south. some of its smaller states put science and innovation at the heart of its societal and economic Italy development. It funds large, Greece R&D spending No data SOURCES: OPEN ACCESS: H. PIWOWAR/IMPACTSTORY/UNPAYWALL/CROSSREF; H.