
The International University of Beirut
The International University was first founded as the Bekaa University under Presidential Decree No. 5294 in April 2001, with its first two campuses in Al-Khyara, in the western Bekaa valley and the capital Beirut. The name was later changed to the Lebanese International University (LIU) / International University (IU).
The International University is a career-oriented institution with the mission of creating access to higher education for first-generation students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to join the professional workforce. With a commitment to democratize higher education and empowerment, the university since 2003 and until 2013 established seven additional campuses in Saida, Nabatieh, Tripoli, Mount Lebanon, Tyre, Rayak, and Akkar.
Beirut Campus
Located in the heart of Beirut, the International University campus consists of seven blocks distributed around Mousaitbeh region. In addition to its numerous number of students’ facilities, the campus includes state of the art labs, fully equipped conference rooms, auditoriums, studios, and recreation center.
Beirut campus is considered one of the most active/diverse university campuses in the capital. With the highest number of enrolled students per campus across the county, it hosts a massive number of academic conferences, seminars, lectures, and students activities.
Orient-Institut Beirut
Founded in 1961, the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) was initially established as a base of German Oriental Studies abroad by the German Oriental Society (Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft). In 1963, the institute gained the legal recognition of the Lebanese government and moved to its present premises in the former Villa Maud Farajallah in the quarter of Zokak al-Blat, near the downtown area of Beirut.
In 2003 the institute joined the Foundation German Humanities Institutes Abroad (since 2012: Max Weber Foundation – International Humanities), a non-profit foundation funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as an umbrella organization for the currently ten German research centers in the Humanities located outside the Federal Republic.
The OIB maintains a large public research library and undertakes two strands of book publications as well as an online series. The institute organizes research seminars, lecture series, international conferences and workshops. For the design, funding, and realization of its projects, the OIB engages in local and international academic partnerships. It also supports academic activities of local partners.