Israel has kept its place as one of the largest exporters of know-how and technology in the world, according to a report published by the National Council for R&D at the Ministry of Science and Technology. The report shows that in 2010 Israeli companies exported $9.5 billion in technological services, such as R&D, and licensing agreements on patents and know-how.
This is a 3.4% drop from 2009, but a 17% rise compared with 2007. There were only $2.5 billion worth of imports of these services in 2011, resulting in a $7 billion surplus.
The surplus from R&D and technology exports is among the highest in the world in proportion to economic activity in the country. In 2008, the proportion of technology exports in Israel was 4.6% of GDP, much higher than that of other countries that are highly invested in intensive non-military R&D, such as the US (0.6%), Germany (1.5%), and the UK (1.7%). The country with the highest proportion of technology export in the world was Ireland, with 14.3%.
Expenditure in R&D in Israel, which is financed by R&D sales overseas, is among the highest in the world, at 29%, compared with 10.7% in the EU.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 28, 2012
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