Total R&D investment among the world’s top spenders on innovation surged upward in 2010 from its recession-induced decline in 2009, according to the 2011 Global Innovation 1000, the seventh annual study of corporate innovation spending, released by global management consulting firm Booz & Company.

The study revealed that the 1,000 public companies that spent the most on research and development in 2010 increased total R&D outlay by 9.3 percent to $550 billion, rebounding from 2009’s 3.5 percent decline — marking a return to the long-term growth trajectory for innovation spending.

Year 2010’s increase in R&D did not keep pace with the 15 percent spike in revenue among Global Innovation 1000 companies, resulting in a slight decline in R&D intensity, or R&D spending as a percentage of revenue — from 3.76 percent in 2009 to 3.52 percent in 2010. However, this was a natural balancing out of the long term trend given that in 2009 most companies did not cut innovation dollars nearly as deeply as their double digit decline in sales might have indicated.

“Clearly, 2010’s R&D increases confirm a continued commitment to invest in new and improved products and services in ever-more competitive markets around the world. However, much of the R&D growth represents catch-up rather than higher levels of new investment,” says Barry Jaruzelski, Partner at Booz & Company.

The study finds that 68 percent of all companies Booz & Company tracked raised R&D spending in 2010, and three industries accounted for more than three-quarters (77%), or $36.1 billion, of the total $46.8 billion increase: Computing and electronics, health and automotive.

Industries experiencing the greatest percentage increase in R&D spending were software and internet (11%), health (9.1%) and industrials (8.5%).