The Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey (BERD) is conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). The survey is divided into eight sections. Each section asks questions about different aspects of Research and Development (R&D) at your company. Due to the specialized nature of each section, it may be necessary to collaborate with colleagues in different departments to answer the questions.

The sections are color-coded and cover the following topical areas:

• Company ownership, business activities, revenues, and employees
• Geographic location and accounting details related to R&D expenses
• Customer-sponsored work and activities funded through grants and/or reimbursements
• Expenditures for property, plant, and equipment including capitalized software
• Strategic and technical information about the company's R&D activities

YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW. Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 131, and 182, Title 42, United States Code, Sections 1861-76 (National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended), and Section 505 within the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection. Sections 224 and 225 of Title 13 require your response. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by Section 9 of Title 13 to keep your information CONFIDENTIAL and can use your responses only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your business, organization, or institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. 

All domestic, non-farm, for profit businesses with 10 or more employees.

Basic data for each year to include financial measures of R&D activity, measures related to R&D employment, and measures related to R&D management and strategy.

Data have been collected annually on the BERD Survey's predecessors (Business Research and Development Survey, Business R&D and Innovation Survey, and Survey of Industrial Research and Development) since 1957.

A survey of approximately 47,500 companies with 10 or more employees. Published data are weighted totals for all covered businesses and accompanied by standard error information. More detailed information on survey methodology can be found at //www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyindustry/.

The National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics will release detailed reports.

Policy officials from many Federal agencies rely on these statistics for essential information. Government policy officials who are involved in assessing the role of the Federal government in promoting economic growth use R&D statistics in their decision-making processes since R&D results affect technological and economic progress. Members of Congress make extensive use of R&D statistics in preparing tax legislation, contacting NSF or the Census Bureau directly through their own staffs, through one of the House or Senate science committees, or through the Congressional Research Service. U.S. R&D expenditures statistics are used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to update the System of National Accounts.

Researchers are able to analyze the relationships between R&D funding and other economic variables by using micro-level data.

Provides the only comprehensive R&D expense data on U.S. businesses.