Education for SDGs in specific courses on sustainability
Courses on Sustainability
Elective Courses
RESEARCH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
The Research Center for Environment and Development (RCED) was established to perform research using interdisciplinary approaches on matters related to natural resources and sustainable development.
The RCED is a team of BAU researchers and students.
The Center is directed by Dr. Safaa Baydoun and a Managing Board of experts and consultants headed by the University President.
VISION
The RCED strives to play a leadership role in sustainable development through ecosystem approaches to protect the environment, conserve biodiversity, and improve community livelihood by sustainable use of natural resources.
MISSION
Our aim is to understand the various threats and challenges of ecosystems and natural resources and recommend appropriate management approaches. The RCED focuses on fostering the participation and engagement of community members through integrated research strategies that go beyond the scientific laboratory research framework to involve the environmental and socioeconomic aspects of sustainable development.
Objectives
Conduct applied research to protect and conserve natural resources towards sustainable use and community development
Provide applied research internships for undergraduate and graduate students
Stimulate participation in national and international cooperation programs and interdisciplinary collaborative research networking
Establish community outreach programs and engagement activities
Establish capacity building activities
Enhance community environmental awareness
Interests
Water and soil quality assessment and monitoring
Flora biodiversity and conservation
Economic empowerment of women
Energy efficiency and renewable energy
Environmental Awareness and educational programs
CLUSTER FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
2.1 ESTABLISHED STARTUPS
The first start-up launched in 2019 by our program is INFRASTIC. INFRASTIC is a concrete block mix, a new construction technology developed by a team of three students from Beirut Arab University.
The team has participated and won several regional and international programs such as UN’s YLP 5. They traveled to participate in the Amman Youth Conference, in November 2019. They also enrolled in the MIT Arab Entrepreneurship Competition and won the first place in the ideation track and 5000$ in grant money. INFRASTIC also won the Development de L'Entrepreneuriat Etudiant au Liban (DEEL) competition organized by AUF. Currently, they are in the first batch of Clean Energy Berytech Program, receiving 2000$ in grant money, with the aim of validating their assumptions and the design. In August 2020, and with the support of BAU’s legal department, INFRASTIC was awarded their first patent by the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce.
During the whole process, of testing, validating, and reporting back, the University offers its lab facilities, and engages its academic staff as the participants’ mentors and advisors. The faculties involved in mentoring are currently the Faculty of Architecture – Design and Built Environment, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Business Administration.

Two other BAU students have been lately admitted to the program. Both projects have partners from other leading Lebanese universities such as the American University of Beirut. The projects entitled ECRO and Snoubra are in their early creation stage moving towards the early incubation stage. Both are led by brilliant female researchers who are keen on leading in the industry.
ECRO, which joined the program in July 2020, focuses on using stone waste as raw materials to produce roof tiles. ECRO is an ecofriendly provider of affordable and customized industrial designs and construction appliances made of crushed stones. Their aim is not only to reduce the usage cement and other harmful materials used in industrial designs and construction but also to promote sustainability by using the stone leftovers from rock factories so that they are not disposed in landfills and drainage systems, which would harm nature. ECRO has been shortlisted in the UN’s YLP6 and has been offered a grant of $2000 by INJAZ.