HOME - SAU - South Asian University The South Asian University is an International University sponsored by the eight Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).The eight countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.The vision of a world-class South Asian University to be collectively established by SAARC was first outlined by the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh at the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka in 2005.The University focuses overwhelmingly on research and post-graduate level programmes.