Biography
Prof. Dafna Schwartz is a Professor of Economics specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation, innovation ecosystems, corporate entrepreneurship and innovation, startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and local and regional economic development.
In 2026, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israel Society for Quality and Innovation in recognition of her longstanding contribution to advancing innovation in the Israeli ecosystem.
Prof. Schwartz currently serves as Head of PereStart, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center at Peres Academic Center, and as Chair of the Israeli Regional Science Association.
Academic Experience and Leadership in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Throughout her extensive academic career, Prof. Schwartz has held faculty and leadership positions in entrepreneurship and innovation at leading academic institutions.
Reichman University, 2017–2024: Professor and faculty member at the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship. From 2020, she also served as Head of the University Research Authority.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 1999–2017: Professor in the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management. During this period, she initiated and developed the university’s activities in entrepreneurship and innovation, founded and headed the MBA specialization in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and High-Tech Management, and managed the Bengis Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation from its establishment, later also serving as Chair of the Center. In addition, she served on the University’s Executive Committee and as the Senate representative on the Board of Governors.
Prior to joining Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Schwartz worked at the Weitz Center for Development Studies, which focused on regional development in Israel and developing countries. From 1994 to 1999, she served as Director General of the Center, having previously served as Deputy Director General and Senior Economist.
Business and Public-Sector Experience
Prof. Schwartz has extensive business and management experience, having served on the boards of directors of leading Israeli companies. These include Strauss Group, Bank Hapoalim, Israel Discount Bank, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Oil Refineries (BAZAN), Bezeq, The Phoenix, Leumi Securities and Investments, Rotem Industries, Inovytec Medical Solutions, Albaad Massuot Yitzhak, Giron Development & Building, and others.
In the public sector, Prof. Schwartz has served on the executive boards of various public and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves on the Executive Board of Educating for Excellence. Her previous positions include membership on Israel’s National Council for Civilian Research and Development, the Executive Committee of Ben-Gurion University, the Executive Board of the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, and the Executive Board of the Israel Small and Medium Enterprises Authority.
Over the years, she has served on major professional and public committees in Israel, including judging committees for the Ministry of Defense Innovation Award, the IDF Chief of Staff Innovation Award, and the Israel Prison Service Commissioner’s Innovation Award. She also served on the Prime Minister’s Award Committee for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and on national committees addressing regional development and traditional industries, the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law, and human capital development for industry. She also participated in major national planning initiatives, including Israel’s National Outline Plan, TAMA 35, and the long-term national master plan, Israel 2020.
International Experience
Prof. Schwartz has extensive international experience in research, consulting, planning, and policy development in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, and local and regional economic development. She has advised on and participated in projects for governments and international organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the European Commission.
Her activities have included projects promoting innovation and economic development in Brazil, including work with the World Bank, the Government of Ceará, and the local Federation of Industries; a UNDP project in cooperation with the Government of Ethiopia to assess the country’s innovation ecosystem; and the establishment of a joint entrepreneurship center between Ben-Gurion University and Jilin University in China. She has also been involved in projects in Paraguay, Guatemala, Angola, Kenya, India, Turkey, and other countries.
At the European level, she served as a member of a European Commission working group on research and policy in the fields of entrepreneurship and SMEs, as well as a member of an Expert Advisory Group under the European Union’s Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.
Awards and Recognition
2026: Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation.
2014: Elected an Honorary Member of the Cearense Academy of Science, Brazil.
2011: Named by TheMarker as one of the 100 most influential people in the Israeli economy.
1996: Selected by Globes as a “Career Woman,” one of ten leading women recognized as representatives of their respective fields.
Education and Academic Activities
Prof. Schwartz holds a B.A. in Economics from Tel Aviv University; an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics and Management from the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Her doctoral dissertation examined the effects of Israel’s Encouragement of Capital Investments Law on industrial investment in development towns.
In the summer of 1991, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University.
Prof. Schwartz has published academic research and articles in her fields of expertise, authored and edited books, supervised research students, and regularly participates in academic and professional conferences and forums in Israel and internationally.