Metadata: Identification and Summary
Title
Research and Development Surveys
Alternative title
RADS
Description
The Research and Development Surveys (RADS) include several surveys on research and development performed or funded by businesses within the United States. The data available date back to 1972 even though the history of this data dates to 1953. The surveys serve as the primary source of information on R&D performed by industry within the United States. This data can be used to assess trends in R&D expenditures. Government agencies, corporations, and research organizations use the data to investigate productivity determinants, formulate tax policy, and compare individual company performance with industry averages. Individual researchers in industry and academia use the data to investigate a variety of topics and while preparing professional papers, dissertations, and books. Completion of four items on the questionnaire are mandated by law. These data have the same key Federal Tax identifiers and therefore can be consolidated under this one data entry.
The Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Survey and its predecessors are the primary sources of information on research and development (R&D) performed or funded by businesses within the United States since 1953. The BERD Survey was developed and is cosponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation and by the Census Bureau, which collects and tabulates data for the survey in accordance with an agreement between the two agencies. Results are used to assess trends in the performance and funding of business R&D. The annual survey examines a nationally representative sample of companies in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries.
Its predecessors were the Survey of Industrial Research and Development (SIRD) (1953–2007), the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDIS) (2008–16), and the Business Research and Development Survey (BRDS) (2017–18). Note that SIRD and BRDIS collected statistics for businesses with five or more employees. BRDS produced (and the BERD Survey produces) statistics for businesses with 10 or more employees.
Beginning in survey year 2018, companies that performed or funded less than $50,000 of R&D were excluded from tabulation. In prior years, companies that performed or funded any amount of R&D were tabulated. This change has affected the comparability of these estimates to those published in prior years, although it is estimated that companies that performed or funded less than $50,000 of R&D accounted for a very small percentage of total domestic R&D. SIRD, BRDIS, and BRDS all collected data on the full range of R&D activities, but only BRDIS collected data on business innovation activities. Data on business innovation activities have been collected by the Annual Business Survey (ABS) since 2017. Statistics on the R&D activities of businesses with one to nine employees are also collected by the ABS.
Source(s)
Census Bureau
General Survey Information
Funder/Sponsor(s)
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics