The Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, founded in 1912 in Haifa, is one of the world's leading science and engineering universities. Currently ranked QS #251 globally. Its alumni include four Nobel Laureates and have founded companies including Mobileye, Waze, Compugen and Given Imaging, plus many of Israel's defence and high-tech contractors. The Technion is consistently ranked in the world's top 50 universities for entrepreneurship, and is the only Israeli university with a full overseas degree-granting branch.

GTIIT was founded in 2017 as a partnership between Technion (Haifa, Israel) and Shantou University, with significant backing from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. The campus delivers Technion's full STEM curriculum in English at the bachelor's, master's and PhD level. Graduates receive a Technion-Israel Institute of Technology degree (the same one awarded in Haifa) plus a GTIIT certificate from the Chinese Ministry of Education. The Shantou campus opened in 2017 in coastal Guangdong, with a focus on materials, biotechnology, chemical engineering, mathematics and computer science.

GTIIT is a small, STEM-focused university with a strong research culture. The compact campus and small cohorts (~1,200 students total) mean close faculty access and an emphasis on hands-on lab work. Active student clubs cover engineering competitions, entrepreneurship and cultural exchange with visiting Israeli faculty and students. Shantou is a coastal city in southern Guangdong, known for its food, beaches and as a major port, and is about 5 hours by high-speed rail from Hong Kong and Guangzhou.