In today’s world, non-oil exports contribute significantly to national economics. Empirical studies on exports show that enterprises’ exports are affected by a variety of factors, including investment in R&D. However, exports of neighboring provinces are also influential. The present study investigates the effect of R&D intensity on the export performance of industrial enterprises in certain provinces of Iran during the years 2000-2015 using the spatial econometrics approach. The results of the study show that R&D intensity has a positive and significant effect on improving the export performance of industrial enterprises. Other explanatory variables such as the rate of economic growth, human capital, inflation, the size of industry and industrialization have also been examined, which prove to have a positive and significant effect on export performance of industrial enterprises. JEL classification: J24, F41, F14.
