Ahlia University (AU) is a private, not-for-profit university in Manama, Bahrain and owned by a private holding company, The Arab Academy for Research and Studies (AARS). The holding company is collectively owned by a group of companies and individuals from the Gulf Cooperation Council. The AU project became a reality when the Government of Bahrain issued the Cabinet Decision No. 03-1626 dated March 2001, making it the first private university to be licensed by the government. Ahlia University has five colleges: The university includes a deanship of student affairs and a deanship of graduate studies and research, in addition to a number of centres. In 2021, Ahila University partnered with Huawei to establish both the Huawei ICT Academy, as well as a research organization focusing on the Internet of things.