Research and development expenditure by government, private companies and universities was Pounds 14.6 billion in 1994, an increase from Pounds 13.8 billion in 1993, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure, an increase of 3.7 per cent in real terms, was above the OECD and EU averages as a percentage of gross domestic product. However, net expenditure in real terms on R&D by the Government peaked in 1980/81 after which there has been a gradual downward trend.