Factors Affecting Research and Development Success in Food Industries

Research and Development (R&D) units have an important role in creation of knowledge and technology, emergence of innovative ideas, reforming processes and technical methods and providing bases for entrepreneurship development in all kind of businesses. Accordingly, economical firms and businesses tend to the creating and developing R&D. In food industries also, managers paid attention to the importance of R&D and tried to create new R&D units. Based on previous researches, different kinds of internal and external factors affecting the success of R&D units. In this study, the concept and functions of R&D units have been discussed and in another part, the most important factors affecting the success of R&D units in Iranian food industries have been assessed. The statistical population consisted of managers of R&D units in food industry enterprise countrywide. 72 persons were selected as sample using random sampling. Also, a questionnaire was used as the major tool for data gathering that its validity was confirmed by panel of expert. The principal components consisted of three main intra-organizational factors: Human factors, procedural factors and structural factors. Based on the main research findings, it was recommended some suggestions for improvement of the factors to achieve a higher degree of effectiveness in the related R&D systems in food industry in Iran.