Shenzhen City in Southeast China has developed from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis since China adopted an open-door policy in 1978. In accordance with its national plan and strategy, China has been striving to develop its international Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Owing to its rapidly developing economy, industries and innovative technologies, Shenzhen is an important city in the GBA. Shenzhen’s higher education (HE) is supposedly crucial for its advancement as an innovation hub. However, the HE in Shenzhen is reportedly not adept with the city’s economic development. Although some Chinese studies have focused on Shenzhen’s HE-related issues, such as integration of and co-operation with the GBA’s policies, not many international studies have assessed how universities can help to ensure overall regional development. Thus, in this study, using Shenzhen’s case in the GBA, we explore the roles of universities in regional development. We review several policy documents and literature based on the glonacal framework to collect relevant data in text and generated themes. The study findings address the critical roles of Shenzhen universities in regional development such as promoting research capacity, fostering international collaboration and upgrading the GBA’s HE sector.