Global Partnerships, Higher Learning's Future

(Beijing) -- A new university backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing and co-founded by partnering institutions in China and Israel is on track to bring Israeli-style innovation and more overseas influence to the Chinese educational system.

A US$ 130 million grant from the Li Ka-shing Foundation and a combined 900 million yuan (US$ 147 million) in subsidies from the governments of southeast China's Guangdong Province has allowed the city of Shantou to set up the Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), which will start recruiting students in December.