The Bouwcentrum was founded in the aftermath of WWII and the context of reconstruction of the heavily bombed city of Rotterdam. In 1958 a programme to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and expertise to professionals from developing countries was initiated seeking solutions in housing and construction sectors. Under the name of the Bouwcentrum International Education (BIE) the programme gained autonomy in the 1970s and by 1982 had changed its name to the Institute for Housing Studies (and subsequently the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, during the 1990s). Today it offers Masters and Doctoral training, research and advisory work, under the auspices of the University of Erasmus.