Support making RiG more international!

Start Survey

Support making "Research in Germany" more international! Your expertise and commitment are the key to the further development of promoting the German research landscape. We invite you to take part in our online survey and share your valuable experiences and opinions. Duration: 7-10 min.

Please start the survey at the end of your visit.

What are the top R&D companies in Germany?

By international standards, German business is right at the forefront of research and development. One of the leading companies worldwide in terms of R&D investment is the carmaker Volkswagen. It spent approx. 18.9 billion euros on R&D in 2022 alone. In the same rankings, Mercedes-Benz, Robert Bosch and BMW are all among the top 30 corporations worldwide.

Research for high technology

In terms of R&D intensity – that is to say the proportion of turnover spent on internal R&D – high-value technology companies increased their R&D expenditure by 8.6 per cent, while cutting-edge technology companies raised theirs by 8.2 per cent. High-tech companies also increased their R&D personnel by more than 8 per cent.

World-class innovators

When it comes to international patent applications (in line with the Patent Cooperation Treaty, PCT), German companies are among the top business PCT applicants: The world’s leading patent applicants include the automotive component supplier and electronics manufacturer Bosch, the engineering company Siemens, the chemical giant BASF, the carmaker BMW and the family-owned Schaeffler.

Facts and figures

The carmaker Volkswagen is the German company that invests most in R&D.

The top 50 PCT applicants list is composed of companies from only nine countries and includes 5 companies from Germany.