After failed attempts to persuade the government of Iran to admit qualified Baháʼí students to universities, the Baháʼí community of Iran rallied its limited resources to make higher education available to its youth and young adults. In a collective effort, a small core of professors, lecturers and researchers who had been discharged from their jobs because of membership in the religion worked on developing an informal network of higher education. These efforts culminated in the establishment of the BIHE- initially known as the “scientific program” in 1987.