UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT
To a large extent, the radical transformation of the Mauritian
economy has been informed by a policy document entitled
Maurice Ile Durable (Mauritius: Sustainable Island), adopted in
2011. This document anchors economic development firmly
in sustainability and has five interlinking foci: energy, the
environment, education, employment and equity. Mauritius
passed an Energy Efficiency Act in 2011 and has adopted
an Energy Strategy for 2011 –2025 which stresses sustainable
building design and transportation, together with the
development of renewable energy sources such as solar,
geothermal and hydropower.
Mauritius has been a central player in the implementation
of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development
of Small Island Developing States, having hosted one of the
three landmark meetings 19 which are driving this programme,
in 2005. Mauritius led a call, in 2014, for the establishment
of a UNESCO centre of excellence on ocean science
and innovation for capacity-building and research, as a
contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The call was endorsed by the Mauritius Ministerial Declaration
adopted by Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar and the
Seychelles at the conclusion of a high-level meeting on
strengthening STI policy and governance for the sustainable
development of small island developing states and their
resilience to climate change.
A series of moves to boost R&D
In 2012, Mauritius devoted 0.18% of GDP to GERD
(Figure 20.3). About 85% of public R&D expenditure is
invested in S&T-related fields. The sectors with the highest
expenditure (together accounting for about 20% of total
spending on S&T) are agriculture, environment and ocean/
marine sciences, followed by health and ICTs, which account
for about 4–7% of total spending. Mauritius has set itself the
target of increasing public expenditure on R&D to 1% of GDP
by 2025 and expects the private sector to contribute at least
50% of national expenditure on R&D by this date.
In 2009, the Mauritius Research Council held a series of
consultations. In addition to its advisory role, this government
agency co-ordinates and funds research to give industries
the edge in innovation. The consultations produced the
following proposals for:
n raising private spending on R&D;
n strengthening intellectual property laws;
n promoting market-driven research;
n consolidating the linkages between researchers in the
public sector and industry; and
n instituting fiscal measures to attract private investment
in R&D.
In response to these recommendations, the government took
a series of measures to boost R&D, including the:
n provision, in 2014, of Rs 100 million (circa US $3 million)
to fund R&D, including through the Public Sector
Collaborative Research Scheme and the Small Business
Innovation Scheme, operated by the Mauritius Research
Council; the main project areas are: biomedicine;
biotechnology; energy and energy efficiency; ICTs; land
and land use; manufacturing technology; science and
technology education; social and economic research; and
water resources;
n amendment, in 2014, to the Mauritius Research Council Act
to provide for a National Research and Innovation Fund;
n establishment of the International Institute of Technology
Research Academy, which moved to its main campus
in 2015, through a memorandum of understanding
between the Indian Institute of Technology in India and
the Mauritius Research Council, in collaboration with the
University of Mauritius; and, lastly,
n provision, in 2013, for the recruitment of 30 experienced
international lecturers for the country’s two universities –
the University of Mauritius and the University of Technology 20 –
to foster greater research and improve teaching standards.
The Mauritius Research Council is the main co-ordinating
agency of the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research
and Technology. The ministry is currently overseeing the
formulation of the country’s first National Policy and Strategy
on Science, Technology and Innovation covering the period
from 2014 to 2025. The main foci of the draft policy are:
n human competencies in the STI sector;
n the role of the public research sector;
n the link between science and society;
n technology absorption and innovation;
n investment in research and innovation;
n meeting challenges through enhanced research;
n promotion of African STI initiatives; and
n governance and sustainability.
Some challenges remain for policy formation; there is a need
to bring coherence and a long-term vision to the forefront
of STI governance and to bridge the gap between public
research institutions and private businesses.
19. First adopted in Barbados in 1994, this programme was updated in Mauritius in
2005 then again in Samoa in 2014.
20. Three other institutions offer higher education: the Mauritius Institute of
Education, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the Mauritius College of the Air.
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