As we ring out the old and ring in the new, we would like to extend our warmest wishes to all the students, faculty members, alumni, teachers and staff of GTIIT as well as to all our partners and friends from all walks of life that have always cared for and supported the development of Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT).

Reflecting back on 2023, GTers have been keeping up the momentum and working closely for bigger growth in various undertakings of the university. The glory and harvest belong to every enterprising person of GTIIT.

This year, China-Israel exchanges in education have continued to deepen. In 2023, Ms. Irit Ben-Abba Vitale, Israeli Ambassador to China and Mr. Alex Goldman Shayman, Consul General of Israel in Guangzhou, visited GTIIT twice. The delegation were impressed by the fruitful results that GTIIT had achieved and extended hope for the development of the university. The year also witnessed the first group of GTIIT students visiting Technion - Israel Institute of Technology on exchange and study programs for five weeks and experiencing the abundance of such a prestigious science and technology university. The seed of educational cooperation between China and Israel has been planted on GTIIT campus and will eventually grow into towering trees.

This year, GTIIT has made steady strides in academic platform construction. Since 2023, GTIIT has become the Secretary Office unit and one of the organizers of the Nan'ao Science Conference, which is hosted by Guangdong Science and Technology Department and Shantou Municipal People's Government. The Conference is aimed at addressing cross-cutting, forward-looking and comprehensive scientific issues in response to the strategic needs of the country and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and building a platform for basic research exchanges with international influence. Since its inception, eight high-level academic conferences have been held, attracting over 200 scholars, 50 of whom are academicians. Focusing on basic research and serving the national strategy, GTIIT has built a solid foundation for creating a scientific research highland, and injected a strong impetus for the university's high-quality development.

This year, GTIIT has forged ahead in the cultivation of faculty. Led by Nobel Prize Winner and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, GTIIT faculty team is dedicated to cultivating innovative talents through a high level of expertise. Prof. Gong Xingao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chancellor of GTIIT, was elected as "2023 Shanghai Education Hero". Prof. David Gershoni, Vice Chancellor of GTIIT, received the first Guangdong Friendship Award. Sixteen GTIIT professors were named on the list of the World's Top 2% Scientists. Prof. Andrea Solotar from GTIIT Mathematics with Computer Science Program was awarded the "Mathematics Consecration Prize" by the Argentina National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (ANCEFN). Assoc. Prof. Gao Xi from GTIIT Chemical Engineering Program, received the award of "2023 Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry". The examples they set serve as the spiritual beacon for youthful students to explore the wonders of science.

This year, GTIIT's scientific research landscape has developed vastly. By the end of 2023, nearly 1,000 papers were published by GTIIT staff and 92% of them were indexed by SCIE/EI. 151 research projects were granted, including 21 by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 1 by the Major Project of Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research and 17 by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province. In 2023, GTIIT established the Research Center for Science & Engineering in Health and Medicine (GTIIT-SEHM), to probe into the basic rules, fundamental theories and pivotal technologies of medical health. In an effort to achieve further development, GTIIT fully leveraged research resources and assembled talents on the path of booming innovation.

This year, GTIIT students have reaped a bumper harvest. In 2023, we celebrated the graduation of our third cohort. Most of them continued on to further study: 30.3% of them attend the globe's top 10 universities, and 90.3% attend the top 100. Among them, there are offers providing full PhD Scholarship directly after bachelor's degree by Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University (US) and other top universities in the world. In addition, GTIIT students have also been admitted to Nanjing University, Soochow University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, South China Agricultural University, and other outstanding universities in China. Those who entering the job market are making a name for themselves with a solid knowledge base and a competitive edge in employment, dedicating to the development of the national high-tech industry. Looking ahead, our students are bound to cause a rise in their fields.

Moreover, GTIIT's Gaokao admission outcome improved considerably in 2023, recording the largest number of students enrolled in through Gaokao since the establishment of the university. The enrollment scale and the quality of student pool have comprehensively surpassed the past, laying an important foundation for the sustainable development of GTIIT. The encouraging results reflect the increasing recognition of GTIIT by students and parents, and we expect more students with passion in science and technology to embark on their "Dream it. Do it" journey at GTIIT.

This year, the industry-university-research cooperation has been fruitful. In 2023, GTIIT engaged in close collaboration with more than 10 provinces and cities on over 20 technical projects, reaching a contract of nearly 10 million RMB and creating several "firsts". It's the first time for GTIIT to join hands with the world's top 500 companies and with foreign company, and seal multiple million-level cooperation deals. GTIIT and China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park (CICP) signed a cooperation agreement on the integrated industry-education base, and jointly built the GTIIT Changzhou Innovation Institute in Changzhou. "Huafeng-GTIIT Research Institute", a new R&D institution in Guangdong Province established by GTIIT and Chaozhou Huafeng Group Co., Ltd., has been the first recognized provincial innovation platform of GTIIT.

This year, GTIIT campus construction has advanced steadily. With the completion of teaching buildings, administrative building, library, teaching lab buildings, research center, pilot plant and other supporting facilities, the 2nd phase of the South Campus project is basically finished. The freshmen of Cohort 2023 have resided in to open a new chapter of their university life.

Let us all open the new year with great hopes. Motivated by Israeli "Chutzpah" combined with profound Chinese cultural roots, we will continue to strive and leap towards brighter glory.

We wish you all a happy, fruitful and splendid Year of the Dragon 2024!

Prof. Gong Xingao, Chancellor of GTIIT

Prof. David Gershoni, Vice Chancellor of GTIIT