Shiri Breznitz

Current affiliations
- Innovation Policy Lab
Areas of interest
- Entrepreneurship in general and students’ entrepreneurship in particular
- Higher education
- Incubators/accelerators
- Innovation and technology
- Intellectual property rights
- Regional economic development
Biography
Shiri M. Breznitz, an economic geographer, specializing in innovation, technology commercialization, and regional economic development. Shiri is Director of Research and the Ralph and Roz Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. In addition, she is an editor in Progress in Economic Geography Journal, a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Medicine By Design and a member of the Scientific Board of the Journal of Technology Transfer. Her research is at the critical intersection of theory and policy to fit the new realities of globalization: Professor Breznitz’s work has informed policymaking at the local, national, and international levels. She has advised on the role of universities in the larger story of innovation, on the economic impact of biotechnology and Intellectual Property, and on the role of clusters in driving innovation. Her current projects include a study on intellectual property and technology commercialization policies at higher education institutions, a study on the regenerative medicine cluster in Toronto, and the economic impact of entrepreneurship education.
Professor Breznitz’s book, “The Fountain of Knowledge” with Stanford University Press (July 2014), analyzes universities’ relationships with government and industry, focusing on the biotechnology industry as a case study. She has also co-edited the book, “University Technology Transfer: The Globalization of Academic Innovation,” with Routledge Press (September 2015). Professor Breznitz was a member of the Ontario Expert Panel on Intellectual Property, a member of the Ontario IP implementation panel and, in 2018, was a Co-PI on the University of Toronto Alumni Impact Survey.
Select publications
- Zhang, Q, Marzocchi, C., and Breznitz, S. M. “Educational diversity and work experience paths towards entrepreneurship.” Accepted at Small Business Economics.
- Vogelaar, J. and Breznitz, S. 2025. “A Role for Economic Geographers in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework: Global Pipelines and the Mobility Challenge.” Progress in Economic Geography. 3(1).
- Zhang, Q., Frank Fox M. and Breznitz. S. M. .2025. “Analyzing the impact of gender on entrepreneurship and innovation: evidence from university graduates.” The Journal of Technology Transfer. 50:1080–1110.
- Brail, S. and Breznitz, S.M. 2024.“Unintentional Innovation: The Role of University Research in Urban Innovation.” In Huggins, R., Kitagawa, F., Prokop,D., Theodoraki, C. and Thompson, P. Editors: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: Emergence, Evolution, Future.
- Breznitz, S. M., Denney, S. and Zhang, Q. 2023. “Too much support? Entrepreneurial ecosystems and firm growth.” The Journal of Technology Transfer. 49(3):1-20.
- Hassink, R., Trippl, M., Breznitz, S., Coenen, L., Fitjar, R. D., Gong, H., and Zook, M. 2023. “Progress in Economic Geography: Inaugural Editorial.” Progress in Economic Geography. 1(1).
- Breznitz, S. M., Lawton Smith, H, and Bagchi-Sen, S. 2022. “The Contribution of Students to Regional Economies: Reframing the Regional Innovation Systems Approach.” Regional Studies Journal. 56(6): 885-891.
- Zhang, Q., Clayton, P. A. and Breznitz, S. M. 2022. "The Hope Fulfilled? Measuring Research Performance of Universities in the Economic Crisis." International Regional Science Review. 45(6):663-691.
- Breznitz, S. M., Kazerouni, S. and Zhang, Q. 2022. “Universities’ Ownership of Intellectual Property: Focus on Canada.” In David B. Audretsch, Erik E. Lehmann, and Albert N. Link, Editors: Handbook on Technology Transfer. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
- Breznitz, S. M. and Zhang, Q. 2021. "Entrepreneurship Education and Firm Creation." Regional Studies Journal. 56(6): 940-955.
- Noonan, D. S., Breznitz, S. M., and Maqbool, S. 2021. “Flocking to the Crowd: Cultural Entrepreneur Mobility Guided by Homophily, Market size, or Amenities?” Journal of Cultural Economics. 45(4): 577–611.
- Noonan, D. S., Breznitz, S. M., and Maqbool, S. 2021. “Looking for a Change in Scene: Analyzing the Mobility of Crowdfunding Entrepreneurs.” Small Business Economics. 57(2):685–703.
- Breznitz, S. M., and Noonan, D. S. 2020. “Crowdfunding in a Not-So-Flat World.” Journal of Economic Geography. 20 (4): 1069–1092.
- Breznitz, S. M. and Zhang, Q. 2020. “Determinants of graduates' entrepreneurial activity.” Small Business Economics. 55(4): 1039-1056.