The total amount of expenditure on research and development activity (R&D) in Bulgaria rose by 27.4 percent year-on-year in 2015 to reach 847.2 million BGN (474 million U.S. dollars), a report said Monday.
R&D intensity, or R&D expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), also increased 0.79 percent in 2014 to 0.96 percent in 2015, the country's National Statistical Institute (NSI) said.
Bulgarian national goal, related to the realization of Europe 2020 strategy, is to reach 1.5 percent R&D intensity in 2020, NSI said.
In 2013, 2012 and 2011, the R&D intensity in Bulgaria was 0.63 percent, 0.60 percent and 0.53 percent respectively, NSI said.
In 2015, the personnel employed with R&D activity amounted to 22,421 persons (in full-time equivalent), which was 16.0 percent more than in the previous year, NSI added.
