Businesses are spending more on research and development, and the trend is expected to continue.

Commercial spend on research and development increased by $53m last year.

The greatest rise in spending came from the services industry, mostly in relation to computer businesses.

Their share of the market has almost doubled.

However, the amount spent by the government and universities on research and development is falling.

Typically ministries and higher education facilities lead that sector.

Almost half of surveyed businesses expect to increase their research and development activity in the coming year.