The purpose of this study was to analyze the R&D approaches of business managers and the factors that affect R&D activities in the central districts of the province of Konya in Turkey. The main data of the study were collected by questionnaires that were applied with managers of 67 businesses in the food industry who were determined by the method of quota sampling. According to the results, the effects of the educational status of the business owner, the personnel structure of the business, the date when the business was established, having a plan for R&D activities for the next 5 years, whether or not they had knowledge on the institutions that provide support for R&D projects and the level of collaboration with universities on the R&D activities of businesses were significantly effective on the level of 5%. The variables that were related to the R&D perceptions of the business managers were determined by factor analysis, and it was found that there were 5 factors regarding the R&D perceptions of the managers. Regression analysis was used to determine whether or not the factors related to R&D perceptions were effective on conducting R&D activities. As a result of the regression analysis, it was determined that R&D had contribution in the operations of the business (Factor I), and the two factors related to university industry collaboration (Factor V) had significant effects on businesses’ R&D activities on the level of 5%