SPAIN:
R&D Budget Request Reverses Long Decline
Alicia Rivera
MADRID--Spain's conservative Popular Party government this week announced plans to ask for a major increase in research funding in the 1999 budget. Currently, Spain spends just 0.8% of its gross domestic product on research and development, placing it firmly in the bottom tier of European research spending. Observers expect parliament to approve the increase by the end of the year.