n 1924, 16 young men sat
in a new university in Haifa,
Israel. Halfway around the
world in Guangdong Province
the same year, a group of
students began their studies at a new
school in Shantou. It would take 90 years
for these twins to come together so they
could begin to fulfil their destiny. Separated
by continents and cultures, they have
finally come together to start building a
future for humanity.
Their union will serve a greater purpose
in the 21st century, realised through a gift
from the Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF),
leading to exciting new possibilities for
humanity in the world of technology.
On 29 September this year, a
memorandum of understanding was
signed by Technion President Professor
Peretz Lavie and Shantou University (STU)
Provost Professor Gu Peihua in Tel Aviv
for the establishment of the Technion
Guangdong Institute of Technology (TGIT).
It is a joint venture by the two institutions
and Technion was granted USD130
million from LKSF for the development of
TGIT. The grant is the largest ever to the
Technion and one of the most generous in
the history of Israeli higher education.
There is a mystery here. What destiny
connects an Israeli technology leader and
a southern Chinese centre of learning?
Whose future does this coalition serve?
Shalom!
你好
!
םולש
!
The obvious story is the short one. The
Israel-Li connection was forged after a visit
to Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
in 2011. Mr Li’s private investment
company Horizons made placements in
some of the more promising ventures
there. Mr Li’s connection to STU as its
founder and principal supporter was an
obvious one and the relationship proved
fruitful.
But a connection this deep and leading
to such a profound commitment doesn’t
I
PHILANTHROPY FOCUS
EDUCATION
TeCHNION ANd STU
The Li Ka Shing Foundation has made one of the largest ever
donations to an Israeli university to establish a Technology Institute
with Shantou University in Guangdong. The USD130million will
join Israel’s innovative achievements with China’s massive scale
of education to form a high tech power house.
Destined
for aGreat
Future
Albert einstein planted a tree on campus in
1923, starting a tradition continued by resident
and visiting Nobel Prize winners which is
still standing till this day. einstein’s tree is a
Washingtonian Robusta. Strangely enough,
it is the same tree featuring on the LKSF logo.
Another piece of cultural genetics suggesting
a mystical twinning between the new partners.
Sphere
#34
2013
30
