The Horizon Europe Information Event, held on Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, at the University of Mauritius' Ebene Cybercity campus, attracted over 120 attendees both online and in-person.  

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​Following welcoming and introductory remarks from Prof. Theesan Bahorun, Executive Director of MRIC, and H.E. Mr. Oskar Benedikt, Ambassador of the European Union to Mauritius and Seychelles,  Dr. the Honourable Kaviraj Sharma Sukon, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, delivered a keynote speech and opened the meeting.  

 

Dr. Laurent Bochereau, Ministre-conseiller for science, technology, and innovation at the EU Delegation to the AU, provided a detailed overview of the program's rules and instruments, highlighting strategies for identifying potential partners and facilitating African participation. This session also included a dedicated Q&A period.  Several testimonials were made, showcasing successful projects.  Mrs. N. Patel (Ministry of Agro Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries) discussed the REACT Project, while Mr. Siegfried Huegemann presented on the African Hydrogen Partnership (AHP).  Further success stories were shared by Mrs. Cheerkoot-Jalim (University of Mauritius) on the INOVEC MSCA Staff Exchange project and Mr. Moahmed Banni (University of Sousse/Tunisia) on the MAGNO-PROJECT.

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A hands-on online workshop, led by Dr. Ahmed Maalel, Regional Representative for EURAXESS Africa, provided practical guidance on navigating the Horizon Europe application process. Participants received training on identifying suitable funding opportunities, accessing available financing, preparing competitive proposals, and effectively searching for collaborative partners. The workshop concluded with an interactive session.

 

The Horizon Europe programme is EU’s 7-year flagship funding programme (2021-2027) for research and innovation. The European Union is a world leader in research and innovation, hosting some of the best universities and most innovative companies in the world. The EU Horizon Europe programme encourages collaboration between research institutions in EU and in its Partner Countries (including African countries), to participate in project consortia, to address shared global challenges. Through the Horizon Europe Programme, Europe offers exceptional opportunities to researchers all over the world to collaborate with European research teams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horizon Europe is a global programme aimed at facilitating cooperation between research institutions (both public and private), by supporting creation and better dispersion of excellent knowledge and technologies. It promotes investments in innovative projects that contribute towards a fair and prosperous future for people and planet, based on European Values.