Guangzhou has 107 secondary vocational schools, more than 10 colleges for adults and over 60 universities, including Sun Yat-Sen University, Jinan University, South China Agricultural University, the Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou University and the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

The city has cooperated with more than 200 research institutes from about 20 countries and regions. It is home to two thirds of higher educational institutions, 97 percent of the laboratories for state key disciplines and all the state key laboratories in Guangdong province. About 2.88 million people have an educational background above college level. There are 1.409 million professional and technical personnel and 2.122 million skilled people. Six Noble Prize winners, 77 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 129 entries of the "1000 Talent Plan"(a Chinese government-initiated global talent program), 139,500 people with senior professional and technical qualifications and 642,000 highly skilled talents worked in Guangzhou in 2015.

Guangzhou is promoting the construction of a national innovation central city. There are more than 10,000 companies providing scientific and technological services, 205 research and development institutes and 13 organizations involving industrial and creative designs. The city has 70 national research institutes, like engineering centers, enterprise technology centers, key labs and engineering labs, and has formed a complete incubation chain covering business nurseries, incubators and accelerators. There are 16 state-level, 8 provincial-level and 21 municipal-level incubators for sci-tech firms. There are also a group of IPR projects, like the Guangdong Office of the Patent Examination Cooperation Center of the State Intellectual Property Office, the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Exchange and the Guangdong Zhongce Intellectual Property Research Institute.

In March 2016, the municipal Party committee and government instituted guidelines to cultivate and introduce top-notch industrial leaders that are in urgent need in 2016. According to the documents, government support will be provided to 500 leading talents in innovation and entrepreneurship (including the members of entrepreneurship teams), 1,000 high-end industrial talents and 2,000 scarce industrial talents every year. Leading talents in innovation and entrepreneurship will receive a fund of 3 million yuan and be given 30 million yuan at most in the form of equity grants plus free financing. Excellent industrial talents will be offered a maximum allowance of 5 million yuan once and for all. High-end industrial talents and scarce talents will be offered a maximun prize of 1.5 million yuan according to their contribution to the city’s development in the previous year. In addition, those who have no intention to settle down in Guangzhou for the time being or have no Guangzhou hukou, or household registration, can enjoy the same policies of housing, car purchases and the enrollment of their children as citizens in Guangzhou. Leading foreign industrial talents will be provided conveniences with entry and residency, and the foreign talents with a green card can apply for a 2 to 5 year long-term residence certificate.