This report presents a quantitative analysis of how research centres in various science and engineering disciplines spend their research budgets. We have collected very detailed data on actual expenditure patterns in a single year (1986/87) from 30 research centres in four disciplines (biochemistry/pharmacology, chemistry, electrical engineering & electronics and plant science). The centres cover a wide range of size, and include university and polytechnic departments, research council and other research institutes, and industrial research centres. Our results are of special interest because they allow direct comparison to be made between the three sectors of research.
