COMSATS, also known as COMSATS University and CU, is a public research university in Pakistan. It is a multi-campus university with its headquarters located in the urban area of Islamabad. Established by the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South which was established in Islamabad on 4 & 5 October 1994, the commission as of 2015 has 23 member state. The CU was established in 1998 with charter in August 2000. Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi is Founder Rector of the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT),Pakistan’s first exclusive institute of information technology. CU was ranked among top 250 Asian Universities by QS University Rankings in 2014 and nationally it is ranked top in Computer Sciences & IT category[citation needed] and 1st overall in the country according to NatureIndex. It has three stars in QS Rankings. It is also a member of Association of Commonwealth Universities. It main campus located in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad has over 9,000 students and 40,000 more students in its 7 satellite campuses. Its student body also includes international students from 9 Countries. CU has 18 Departments which combined offer 96 degree programs and has since inception produced 850 PhDs. CU has also established Student Startup Business Center (SSBC) to support and promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Academic environment.