The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the American University of Beirut Collaborate on Scholarships

The Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is pleased to announce a new mechanism in its support for higher education in Lebanon, in partnership with the American University of Beirut (AUB). While the Foundation has awarded scholarships to individual AUB students over many decades, enabling generations of scholars, experts and leaders to pursue their studies, the recent institutional collaboration opens a new chapter of structured support.

The bond between AUB and the Armenian community itself is deeply rooted, stretching back to the university’s origins in 19th-century Beirut. John Wortabet (Vartabed, meaning priest in Armenian), the son of an Armenian priest, was among AUB’s seven Founders and served as an early professor of anatomy and physiology. Armenian students were represented among the university’s earliest cohorts, distinguishing themselves especially in the medical and nursing faculties, where two Armenian women made history in 1908 as part of AUB’s very first graduating class in nursing.

Building on this rich legacy, the newly established Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Scholarship at AUB supports a dynamic group of undergraduate students majoring in diverse disciplines. In 2026 a total of seven scholarships were granted, totaling 28.000 Euros. The recipients reflect the extraordinary talent, resilience and ambition of today’s Lebanese-Armenian youth.

AUB Associate Vice President for Advancement Salma Oueida welcomed this new level of collaboration between the Foundation and the University, adding that it “brings vital hope and opportunity to campus.” 

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation remains dedicated to empowering the next generation of Armenian leaders and community members to ensure that promising students excel, innovate and lead.

“This year is the Foundation’s 70th anniversary,” noted Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities Department, “and since its inception we have been granting scholarships to Armenian students. We are proud to incorporate our partnership with AUB in that long tradition.”