Analyzing Determinants of R&D Intensity in Iranian Manufacturing Firms

Research and development expenditure is a key indicator of resources allocated to science and technological activities, so knowledge about its features and factors underlying firm decision about R&D expenditures have great importance. According to international comparisons, R&D intensity in Iranian manufacturing firms is low compared to developing countries and emerging-market economies. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to analyze factors determining R&D intensity in Iranian manufacturing firms. Using data covering 1995-2014 based on two-digit ISIC data of Iranian manufacturing firms, we have developed a panel-data model to analyze R&D intensity. Our results show that high-tech companies with higher ratio of human resources with tertiary education are more open to foreign trade, have greater size and also have higher ratio of investment to value-added. The results show that profitability of high-tech companies and their value-added growth have no significant effect on their decision to make R&D activities. In mid- and low-technology companies, none of explanatory variables has significant effect on R&D intensity. This shows that these industries in Iran are not developed enough to be sensitive about R&D in their strategies. Based on these results and considering very different variables that affect decisions of companies about R&D, it is necessary to implement different policies for industries with different level of technology.