Technion Opens Doors for Chinese Students
Friday, June 21, 2013
By: Kevin Hattori

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's reputation as a prestigious, world-renowned institution grew again earlier this week, when it was announced that China's Hanqing International Education Foundation will provide support for top Chinese students to study at the Technion.

In the initial phase of the 20-year, $8 million agreement signed at the Technion's Haifa campus on June 17, students pursuing master's and PhD degrees will be selected to receive annual scholarships and financial support up to $35,000.The fund will support five new students per year. An executive council comprised of six members (three from the Technion, and three from the Hanqing Foundation) will oversee program operations.

Mr. Zhao Hanqing and Technion President Peretz Lavie

"We view the signing of this agreement with the Hanqing Foundation as another step towards our increasingly close collaboration with Chinese academia," said Technion President Peretz Lavie. "The Technion played a fundamental role in the development of Israel, and I am certain that Chinese students studying here will learn valuable tools and skills that will help them advance their country's development," he added. President Lavie also mentioned that there are already a number of Chinese students studying at the Technion, in the university's International School of Engineering (ISE).

The Hanqing International Education Foundation's founder, Chinese businessman Zhao Hanqing, said his foundation will be signing similar agreements with other top Israeli universities. Reflecting upon his visit to the Technion to sign the agreement, Mr. Zhao opined that,"...it is not surprising that such an excellent institution is considered among the best technology universities in the world."

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is a major source of the innovation and brainpower that drives the Israeli economy, and a key to Israel's renown as the world's "Start-Up Nation." Its three Nobel Prize winners exemplify academic excellence. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world including life-saving medicine, sustainable energy, computer science, water conservation and nanotechnology. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute is a vital component of Cornell NYC Tech, and a model for graduate applied science education that is expected to transform New York City's economy.

American Technion Society (ATS) donors provide critical support for the Technion - more than $1.9 billion since its inception in 1940. Based in New York City, the ATS and its network of chapters across the U.S. provide funds for scholarships, fellowships, faculty recruitment and chairs, research, buildings, laboratories, classrooms and dormitories, and more.