Using a disaggregated R&D Intensity indicator to identify leading countries in specific manufacturing classes

The R&D Intensity (RI) indicator is widely used by analysts and policymakers for international comparisons, benchmarking, and goal setting. It is believed that calculating a separate RI for each industrial class will reveal a more representative indication of the focus of various countries in that particular class. In this study, we named the disaggregated R&D Intensity “Class-RI”. The study first investigated the indicator´s validity by correlating it with an economic indicator at the manufacturing classes´ level. A number of manufacturing classes were then singled out to identify which countries exhibited high RI. The study demonstrated the usefulness of Class-RI in ranking countries.