In 2017, Technion inaugurated two new campuses outside of Israel – Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in China and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in the United States. Two years later, both campuses are thriving.
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, which was created in 2013 within Cornell Tech as a partnership between Cornell University and Technion, has plans to expand. Located within the new, modern Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City, the Jacobs Institute currently offers two Technion-Cornell dual Masters degrees, in Connective Media and Health Tech. Students receive degrees from both Cornell and Technion.
This past academic year, a total of 90 students were enrolled in the two Master’s programs, of which about 75% were in Connective Media and 25% in Health Tech. Demand for the current Master’s programs is growing, and the number of applications continues to rise each year. A new Urban Tech hub/degree is expected to be launched in the fall of 2021 and is likely to attract large interest. The Institute now has seven faculty members, including its director, Ron Brachman, who is a professor of Computer Science at Cornell University. Three of the seven are Technion-appointed faculty.

The Jacobs Institute is also home to the Runway Startup Postdoc Program – part business school, part research institution and part start-up incubator. Postdocs arrive with ideas for unproven products and markets that require time and specialized guidance to develop. The program lasts 12–24 months and incorporates academic and business mentorship. So far, it has launched 24 companies.

This past year was pivotal in strengthening the ties between the New York and Haifa campuses. Prof. Ariel Orda is Jacobs Program Head at Technion.
Technion students intern at the Cornell Tech campus. The Jacobs Institute is formalizing a Technion Visitors Program to support short-term visits, and the Runway program is working to strengthen ties with Technion DRIVE entrepreneurs.
“I am most grateful for all of my experiences at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institue as I worked, built and engaged with a group of international students with extraordinarily diverse backgrounds.” – Renee Zacharowicz, Jacobs Institute
The Ruch Faculty Exchange Program supports faculty and student collaboration between Cornell Tech and Technion. Over 50 Cornell Tech students took part in the 2019 iTrek trip to Israel, half of whom were Jacobs students.