COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Pakistan's first exclusive Institute of information technology. The Government of Pakistan awarded the CIIT Charter in 2000, and in less than a decade, it has grown into a quality institution of higher learning. CIIT now has eight campuses in seven cities, a student population of more than 35,000, and a faculty base of 2,887. In addition to Information Technology, the Institute offers several bachelor's, master and doctoral programs in engineering, basic sciences, management sciences, and architecture.
The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) is an international organization. It aims to reduce the ever-growing gap between the developed and developing worlds through sound science and technology applications. The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) initiated the proposal for the formation of COMSATS under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Dr. Abdus Salam.
The foundation-conference of COMSATS was held at Islamabad on fourth & 5th October 1994. Representatives from thirty-six countries attended. The participants included twenty-two Ministers, members of the diplomatic community of Islamabad, and representatives of international organizations, like UNESCO, UNIDO, UNEP, and the World Bank.
The CUI was established in 1998 as a project of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), which is an inter-governmental organization with 21 member states in three continents Asia, Africa, and Latin America, namely Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea (DPRK), Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Currently, CUI has a public sector degree-awarding higher education institution and was given a Charter by the Federal Government in August 2000.
CUI aspires to be both one of the top research institutions and one of the country's best higher education providers. It envisages becoming a university by the name of "COMSATS University." The vision being pursued by the CUI is to become one of the top 100 universities in the developing world. The CUI further intends to earn a place among the world's top 500 universities by the year 2020.
