As the chart hopefully indicates, most companies expect to dole out more money this year to others to do all sorts of chores - R&D, quality control and quality assurance, and contract management, for instance. The grouping includes big pharma, mid-sized drugmakers, generics, biotechs and specialty houses, according to a recent survey by ContractPharma magazine.

For those having difficulty (and we apologize; we’re working on getting this right), the figures go like this: 30 percent of all those asked expect to boost outsourcing spending by at least 10 percent this year, followed by 31 percent who will spend between 6 percent and 10 percent more than in 2006. Only 9 percent will spend less this year and 14 percent project zero growth.

Interestingly, 31 percent of big pharma folks say they’ll boost outsourcing by 10 percent or more this year, while only 15 percent of biotechs and 45 percent of generic makers expressed the same sentiment. You can see a few more pie charts here.