R&D investment is one of the major decisions of an enterprise, and the structure of the board of directors has an important impact on the R&D decisionmaking process and results. This paper takes Ashare listed companies from 2007 to 2019 as a sample, characterizes R&D persistence with R&D spending stickiness, and explores the organizational factors that affect the persistence of corporate R&D from the structural feature of the board fault zone. We find that the existence of the board fault zone reduces the persistence of R&D investment. The mechanism test shows that the board fault zone affects the persistence of R&D through three ways: the supervisory effectiveness of the board, the goal decision orientation and the risk preference. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the deep characteristics of the board fault zone aggravate its inhibition effect on R&D persistence, while the purchase of directors executive liability insurance and the high degree of external market competition can alleviate its negative impact on R&D persistence. After distinguishing the variation types of R&D expenditure, we find that the board fault zone mainly inhibits the stickiness of R&D expenditure of “rising more and decreasing less” type. This study examines the impact of board fault zones on multiperiod R&D expenditure decisions within enterprises. The research conclusion provides new evidence for the study of the decisionmaking effect of board structure, expands the relevant research on the factors affecting the stickiness of R&D expenditure, and also provides theoretical guidance and policy implications for enhancing the continuity of enterprise R&D through strengthening board building.