National ICT Research Capacity and Priorities for Cooperation - Mauritius
National Priorities
National ICT Research Priorities include ICT Energy Efficiency, eWaste Management, eAgriculture, Bio-informatics, Biometric Security, Context Awareness, eHealth, Technology-enhanced Learning, Digital Enterprise.
- ICT Energy Efficiency - Focused on reducing carbon emissions, Minimising environmental impacts and sustainable economic development. Institutions involved include: University of Mauritius, National Computer Board, University Technology Mauritius and Mauritius Research Council, Middlesex University
- eWaste Management - Focused on minimising environmental impact, promoting standards linked with eWaste reduction and promoting a Green and sustainable environment. Institutions involved include: University of Mauritius, University Technology Mauritius, Ministry of Local Government and National Computer Board
- Software Engineering - Focused on boosting the Software industry, creating skilled software developers and branding Mauritius as ICT Hub. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius, University of Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes and National Computer Board
- Bio-Informatics - Focused on improving the health of the population. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius
- Biometric Security - Focused on security identification of the individual. Institutions involved include University of Mauritius
- Intrusion Forensic - Focused on Security and Confidentiality. Institutions involved include University Technology Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes
- Attack on VOIP Networks - Focused on Security and Denial of Service. Institutions involved include University Technology Mauritius
- Context Awareness - Focused on improving the lives of society and improving healthcare services. Institutions involved include University of Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes
- Performance optimisation of database driven websites - Focused on boosting the software industry and creating skills software developers. Institutions involved include University Technology Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes
- ICT for Creativity and Productivity - Focused on improving the productivity of the individual and organisation. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius and University of Mauritius
- ICT for Health - Focused on improvement of healthcare service. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes and University of Mauritius
- Technology-enhanced Learning - Focused on promoting eLearning and eEducation. Institutions involved include: University of Mauritius, University des Miscarriages and Mauritius Research Council
- Digital Enterprise - Focused on Multimedia development leading to sustainable and green environment. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius
- Scientific Computing - GPU Computing with iterative solutions methods. Institutions involved include: University Technology Mauritius
- Big Data Technologies - University of technology Mauritius, Middlesex University
National Research Capacity
The table below provides an overview of universities in Mauritius with ICT/Engineering Courses for 2017/2018:
| Institution (Publicly funded) | Location | Total Students | Undergraduate Students | Post-Graduate (Masters, PhD) | |||
| Overall | ICT/Eng | Overall | ICT/Eng | Overall | ICT/Eng | ||
| University of Mauritius | Reduit | 9,671 | 2,324 | 9,108 | 2,181 | 563 | 143 |
| University of Technology | Pointes-aux-Sable | 3,291 | 819 | 2,696 | 652 | 595 | 167 |
| Open University of Mauritius | Reduit | 3,578 | 245 | 2,460 | 245 | 1,118 | - |
| Universite des Mascareignes (ex- Swami Dayanand Institute of Management and Institute Superieure | Beau Plan | 866 | 531 | 852 | 525 | 14 | 6 |
| Mauritius Institute of Training Development | Phoenix | 516 | 215 | 256 | 215 | 260 | - |
| Fashion and Design Institute | Ebene | 250 | 75 | 250 | 75 |
| Institution (Private) | Location | Total Students | Undergraduate Students | Post-Graduate (Masters, PhD) | |||
| Overall | ICT/Eng | Overall | ICT/Eng | Overall | ICT/Eng | ||
| Aberystwyth University (Mauritius Branch) | Flic-en Flac | 49 | 9 | 46 | 9 | 3 | - |
| African Leadership University | Pamplemousses | 278 | 126 | 278 | 126 | - | - |
| Atlantis Business School | Vacoas | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | - | - |
| Charles Telfair Institute | Quatres-Bornes | 1,492 | 264 | 1,436 | 264 | 62 | - |
| Middlesex University (Mauritius Branch) | Ebene | 743 | 153 | 533 | 116 | 190 | 37 |
| PTC Training Centre | Rose Hill | 46 | 3 | 28 | - | 18 | 3 |
| Rushmore Ltd | Quatres-Bornes | 267 | 69 | 229 | 69 | 38 | - |
| Talent Solutions Ltd | Pierrefonds | 163 | 73 | 132 | 73 | 31 | - |
| The Executive Business and Computational Institute The Executive Business and
Computational Institute
|
Quatres-Bornes | 32 | 21 | 28 | 21 | 4 | - |
| UOM Trust | Reduit | 237 | 24 | 225 | 19 | 12 | 5 |
| Whitefield Business School | Quatres-Bornes | 300 | 150 | 300 | 150 | - | - |
Note: Overall ICT/Eng also includes Certificates, Diplomas, Undergraduates, and Post Graduates
Source: Tertiary Education Commission (2018)
The following universities and research centres in Mauritius are undertaking ICT-related initiatives in the research field. As part of its ongoing IST-Africa activities, National Computer Board has undertaken a consultation with national stakeholders and each institute has outlined its current research expertise, track record and mapping to research areas:
University of Mauritius
- Department Computer Science and Engineering; Department Mechanical and Production Engineering; Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
- Research areas include: Health; Climate; Environment; Smart Cities; Bio-informatics; Efficient Computing; IPV6; Context Awareness; Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing; Smart Energy Grid; Energy engineering and management; Renewable energy technologies; Biometric Security; Access Control for healthcare; Software agents; Software oriented Services; Metadata development; Ontology engineering; Adaptive Coding Techniques for Data Transmission, Growth of Nanostructured Materials; Intelligent/Computational Intelligent Systems: Neural Networks; Fuzzy and Immune Systems, Quantum Computing; Computational Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction; Sustainable Agriculture & Bio-Economy; Energy engineering and management; Renewable energy technologies
Examples of research expertise and types of projects undertaken are provided below:
Faculty of Information, Communication and Digital Technologies
The Faculty was created in March 2017 from the previous Department of Computer Science and Engineering and consists of three departments (Digital Technologies, Information and Communication Technologies and Software and Information Systems). It consists of the following research groups:
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics The objectives of this group are to study algorithms used in Bioinformatics, to contribute new algorithms, to study how Bioinformatics data is stored and accessed throughout the world, and to look into how Mauritius can contribute to Bioinformatics Data Banks. Projects undertaken by this research group include:
- Setting up a Data Warehouse for Infectious Diseases (2013-2014, Internally Funded by University of Mauritius)
- A Support Framework to Optimize Access to Remote Bioinformatics Data (2014-2015, Internally Funded by University of Mauritius)
- Discovering relationships between diseases and genes using the human structural interactome and biological pathways (2016-2021, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Computational Analysis for Understanding Evolution of Infectious Diseases (2016-2018, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- A systematic identification and analysis of disease-related modules in the human protein-protein interaction network (2016-2017, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Computational Methods for the Functional Annotation of Hypothetical Proteins in Infectious Diseases (2017-2018, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- H3ABioNet (Goal: To develop a Pan African Bioinformatics Network to support H3Africa research projects through the development of bioinformatics capacity on the continent, 2011-2017, Funded by NIH)
- NIH funded Research project (Grant Number: 2U24HG006941-06 FAIN: U24HG006941) "H3ABioNet: informatics solutions for H3Africa". Main PI: Prof. Nicola Mulder of the University of Cape Town. (2017-2022)
- A systematic identification and analysis of disease-related modules in the human protein-protein interaction network (2016, Funded by Mauritius Research Council).
- Bridging Bio-Medical Research and ICT in Mauritius - Creating Awareness (2017-2018, Funded by the Mauritius Research Council).
- Computational Pan-genomics (2017-2019), under an RCA with Prof. Christos Ouzounis, Director of the Biological Computation & Process Laboratory at CPERI-CERTH
- Exploration of existing approaches and assessment of new method/s for the analysis of cancer pan-genomes (2018 - 2019, UoM Funded)
- Pole of Innovation in Health (2018-2021, Funded by MRC) along with CBBR and other partners; led by Assoc. Prof. Archana Bhaw-Luximon of CBBR.
Efficient Computing
The main aim of the research group is to propose computer-based solutions that improve the productivity of the individual and, consequently, improve the effectiveness of the organisation the individual belongs to. The current activities are:
- Consultancy for Aapravasii Ghat Trust fund (Aapravasii Ghat is a UNESCO world heritage centre)
- Proposal for EDP in Leveraging Web 2.0 in Mauritian Enterprises
Context awareness
Context-Awareness is an emerging area of Computer Science, whereby computer systems can make decisions and take actions based on context information such as location, time temperature or the presence of specific individuals. The objective of this group is to investigate how the use of context-awareness can improve the lives of users and how context-awareness can be put to the service of the Mauritian society. The University of Mauritius is working on a paper entitled "Access Control Mechanisms for Collaborative Context-Aware HealthCare Services in Mauritius".
Health Informatics
- The objectives of this group is to apply Information Technology to various types of challenges in the Healthcare system to help better manage healthcare data as well as a support for improved health of patients. Projects undertaken include:
- An Access Control Mechanisms for Collaborative Context-Aware HealthCare Services in Mauritius (2010-2013, Funded by Mauritius Research Council).
- A Mobile System Framework to Support the Autonomous Self-management of Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Mauritius (2017-2018, Internally funded by the University of Mauritius).
- Data Analytics for Real-Time Disease Outbreak Management and Surveillance in Mauritius, Funded by the Mauritius Research Council, Principal Investigator (2017 - 2018, Funded by the Mauritius Research Council).
Intelligent systems
The group concentrates on research in fields such as Biometrics, Computer Vision, Artificial intelligence and Human Computer Interaction
- Automatic Suspect Behaviour Recognition System (2013)
- Scalable Video Surveillance System for Suspect Behavior (2014)
Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing
The main objective of this research group is to use these technologies to enhance the quality of life of human beings. The research group will investigate the human, social, technical, hardware and software issues involved with mobile and ubiquitous computing. Research projects in different areas including infrastructure development, identifying new concepts and building ubiquitous applications will be undertaken. The group will also address the issue of expert human resource development in this area.
- A mass media communication system using mobile voice technology for information dissemination during crisis situation in Mauritius (2016-2017, funded by Mauritius Research Council).
- An Audio Learning System over mobile phone for empowerment of Mauritian Farmers (2017-2018, Funded by Mauritius Research Council).
Biometrics
- Development of A Framework for the Setting Up of Secure Biometric Data Storage In Mauritius (2016-2018, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Pose and light invariant Face and Ear Recognition System.
- Building a Biometric Database of Palmar and Dorsal Hand Patterns A number of individual projects have also been undertaken and they are listed below under different research themes.
Wireless Sensor Networks
- Optimal Wireless Sensor Network Topologies for Urban Drainage Monitoring System in Smart Cities, Funded by the Mauritius Research Council (2017 - 2018, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Wireless Sensor Network System for Precision Agriculture (2012-2013, Internally Funded by University of Mauritius)
- Prototype Implementation of a Marine Information System using Sensor Networks and GIS (2014-2015, Internally Funded by University of Mauritius)
- Assets Tracking System using RFID Technology, (2008-2009, Internally Funded by the University of Mauritius)
- Modelling and Simulation of an Inland Tsunami Prediction System using Wireless Sensor Networks, (2014-2015, Internally Funded by the University of Mauritius)
Social Impact of ICT
- A Study of Online Social Networks (OSNs) in Mauritius: Impact on Secondary Education (2011-2013, Funded by Mauritius Research Council).
- Investigating the factors Affecting technology acceptance in Mauritian SMEs.
- An ICT architecture for Smart Towns in Mauritius.
- Investigate & Forecast the Future Energy Demand and the Potential of Renewable Energy to Mitigate GHG Emissions (2011-2012)
- Study of Waste Collection Systems in two Local Authorities
- Development of an open platform for "Volunteer thinking" (2012-
Marine Information Management
- An Ocean Data Management System (2016-2017, Funded by Mauritius Research Council).
Operating Systems
- Implementation and Evaluation of ECNAS - Erasure Coded Network Attached Storage (NAS) (2014-2015, Internally Funded by University of Mauritius).
Green-Computing
- A Sustainable Green-Computing Framework for Clusters of ICT Equipment (2013)
Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
Research projects include:
- Cane Resources Network for Southern Africa, 2002-2008 - Funded by DG Research this network assessed the role of bio-energy from sugarcane in promoting sustainable development and improving global competitiveness in the region of southern Africa.
- Collaborative Curriculum Development on Waste Management in Africa and the pacific Region (CODWAP ), 2008-2011 Funded by ACP, CODWSAP established an active and sustainable co-operation forum on curriculum development, which is consistent with African and Pacific Region socio-economic development priorities to develop Solid Waste Management educational tools including a Masters Course and training courses.
- Small Developing Island Renewable Energy Knowledge and Technology Transfer Network (DIREKT ), 2009-2012 - Funded by ACP S&T Program this project scheme involved universities from Germany, Fiji, Mauritius, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago and focused on strengthening the science and technology capacity in the field of renewable energy of a sample of ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) small island developing states, by means of technology transfer, information exchange and networking
- Re-Sources Network, 2012-2017 focused on Solid waste Management in Western African countries.
- L3EAP , 2013 - 2016 - This project was coordinated by Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in partnership with USP, University of Mauritius and Papua New Guinea University of Technology. It focused on increasing the capacity of universities in African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) SIDS to deliver high-quality Lifelong Learning courses on the topics of energy access, security and efficiency.
University of Technology, Mauritius
- Depts include: School of Innovation, Technology and Engineering; School of Sustainable Development and Tourism
- Research areas include: Climate change; Energy Management; Waste Management; Sustainable assessment; Future Internet; Mobile Communication; Context Awareness; IPV6; Data Mining; Web Caching Algorithms; Krylov subspace method for eigenvalue problem and its applications; Intrusion forensics; Security on SIP-based VoIP networks; Energy modelling for sensor networks; GPU Computing with iterative solution methods; Performance optimization of database-driven websites; Orange Money API
Examples of research expertise and types of projects undertaken are provided below:
- Implementation of a USSD API for Emerginov platform (2011)
- Digital Propagation models for Mauritius (completed)
- A technology independent framework for partitioning and retracting context awareness for next generation applications (2012 - 2013)
- Formulation of a unified data mining theory through composite functions (2004 - 2012)
- Web caching algorithms for highly customizable portals (2007 - 2012)
- ERP for SMEs (2008 - 2014)
- Learning difficulties in geometry (2008 - 2012) - investigated the performance of upper primary pupils in two-dimensional geometry
- Secure access through authentication and biometrics/smart cards technologies (2012 - 2015)
- GPU Computing with iterative solution methods (2012 - 2015)
- Reliability assessments and predictions over mobile and ubiquitous computing (2011 - 2015)
- Intrusion forensics - focused on providing a solution to code/data confidentiality of mobile agent based on an adapted implementation of the Bell-Lapadula model for access control. (2005 - )
- Security framework to combat attacks On SIP-based VoIP networks (2011 - 2017)
- Harnessing the potential of ICT to influence learning of mathematics in lower form at secondary level (2012 - 2017)
- Krylov subspace method for eigenvalue problem and its applications (2012 - 2016)
- Energy modelling for sensor networks (2008 - 2015)
- Software tool for option pricing (2008 - 2015)
- Performance optimization of database-driven websites using HTML5 web storage capabilities to model client side query caching mechanism (2012 - 2016)
- Orange Money API - Extension of Orange Money API from Orange France Telecom, to provide enhanced services to micro service developers.
- Open Hardware and Micro-Services - prototype to allow users with basic or no knowledge of C/C++ to use and access arduino remotely through a secure web API (2012 - 2013)
- Discrete-time Sylvester Matrix equations with fuzzy parameters (2013 - 2020, part time basis)
- Numerical algorithm to price life insurance and annuities (2013 - 2020, part time basis)
- 3D Compression for multimedia systems using mobile networks (2013 - 2020, part time basis)
- Feasibility Study for implementing IPv6 in Cellular Networks (completed)
- Triple Play Services on Power Line Communication (ongoing)
- Scaling Up IoT and M2M with IPv6
- Energy Information Systems with Agile Techniques (ongoing)
- Predictive Analysis using Time and Space Series for Carbon Footprint in Mauritius using a smartphone and sensors to predict acidity of seawater and other environmental indicators (ongoing)
- Transition models from traditional to SDN networks (ongoing)
- Optimal Harvesting Strategies for Fisheries (ongoing)
- High order methods for solving option pricing problem (2014 - 2021, part time basis)
- Citizen empowerment in newly born Smart Cities in Mauritius - focused on predicting behavioural intention to use smart city technologies use the TAM to effectively assess the perception and readiness and the perceived usefulness of certain smart city technologies such as for transportation as well as identifying key smart city applications for Mauritius.
Mauritius Research Council
- Research areas include: Wind turbine Technology; Technology-Enhanced Learning; IPV6
Examples of the types of research projects undertaken are provided below:
- Adaptive Coding Techniques for Time Varying Channels
- Developing successful entry strategies for BPO operations in Mauritius (completed)
- Electronic Commerce tools and Methodology using web-based technologies (completed)
- Evaluation of importance of corporate e-learning in providing a competitive edge to Mauritian companies (completed)
- A Study of Online Social Networks in Mauritius: Impact on Secondary Education (undertaken with University of Mauritius)
- A Secure data access model for the Mauritian Healthcare Services (undertaken with University of Mauritius) (completed 2012)
- Development of a Locally Designed Wind turbine Technology (completed)
- Supporting QoS in Mobile IPv6 Systems (2009 - ongoing)
- Development of a high-performance GPU- Based platform for application in Radio Astronomy and Climate Simulation Research (2015 - ongoing)
- A mass media communication system using mobile voice technology for information dissemination during crisis situation in Mauritius (2015 - ongoing)
- Optimal wireless sensor Network Topologies for Urban Drainage Monitoring System (2016 - ongoing)
- Development of an Interactive Mobile-based personal Carbon Footprint Calculator specific to Mauritius (2016 - ongoing)
- An ICT Architecture for small towns in Mauritius (2016 - ongoing)
- ICT framework for small and medium enterprises in Mauritius and Rodrigues: The enabler to growth, competitiveness and development (2016 - ongoing)
- Smart Irrigation System with Robotized Sprinkler (SISROS) (2016 - ongoing)
- TangiBooks- Interactive book series for primary schools with the integration of Augmented Reality (2016 - ongoing)
- Promoting Digital Literacy for Adoption of E - banking Services: A Strategy to Empower Women Entrepreneurs in Mauritius (2017 - ongoing)
- Mauhazard: An Interactive Tool to asess Hazard Perception Skills of drivers in Mauritius (2017 - ongoing)
- The Use of Digital and Social Media Marketing by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Mauritius (2017 - ongoing)
- An Audio Based Mobile Learning System using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to empower Mauritian Farmers (2017 - ongoing)
- Evaluating the potential of crowdsensing for intelligent transport systems in Mauritius (2017 - ongoing)
- A pedagogical English Language software for pre-primary students (2016 - ongoing)
- Factors influencing the adoption of eGovernment services in Mauritius
- Factors affecting performances of first year students in online courses (completed)
Open University of Mauritius
- Research areas include: Simulation Software, Cloud Computing, Software and Services, Multimedia, Content Access and Analytics, Data Mining, Cognitive Systems, Advanced Interfaces, eHealth, Integrated Care, Technology-enhanced Learning, eGovernment Services, Big Data, Digital inclusion, Social innovation platforms, cybersecurity
Examples of research expertise and types of projects undertaken are provided below:
- Investigating the effective use of tablets by distance education learners (completed)
Charles Telfair Institute
- Depts include Faculty of IT
- Research areas include: Green ICT, Digital Divide, Technology-enhanced Learning, IT Governance, Digital Inequality, Cloud Computing
Examples of types of research projects undertaken are provided below:
- Development and Evaluation of IT Governance and Green IT Model to Support Large Mauritian Organisations
- Digital Inequality: The Internet in Mauritius (completed)
- Developing robust businesses with the power of cloud computing Among SMEs
- Social Media Marketing: An investigation into SME practices in Mauritius; a case study approach
- "Participatory culture and education: A roadmap to the integration of participatory culture in the curriculum"
- Are online tertiary courses a major threat to tertiary institutions? Evaluation of impact of online courses
- The role of cognitive and non-cognitive factors as predictors of academic performance: identifying the determinants of disengagement from higher education
Université des Mascareignes
- Depts include Faculty of Engineering - ICT
- Research areas include: Climate Change & Environment, Secure Societies, ICT-enabled technologies, eHealth, Cryptography
Examples of research expertise and types of projects undertaken are provided below:
- Fast and Efficient Algorithms for Web Information Retrieval (completed 2014)
- Use of ICT/Distance learning in Education (2010 - ) - creation of a platform for a virtual campus
- E-marketing/Social Media (2012 - ) - analysis of use of scoial media as relationship marketing tool in the retail sector
- Impact of CRM in Higher Education based on case of Université des Mascareignes
- Strength development in soils of volcanic origin, stabilized with fly ash (completed)
- Web/mobile based traffic fluidity monitoring at Bel Air/ Rivière Sèche (completed 2014)
- Heuristic Search Procedures for Cryptanalysis (PhD research, 2014 - 2018)
- Just-in-time diabetes assistance using mobile and web technologies (completed 2014)
Middlesex University, Mauritius
- Research areas include: User Interfaces, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Business Information Systems
Examples of types of research projects undertaken are provided below:
- Assessment of energy efficiency metrics - Evaluation of maturity of Green ICT practises at organisational level
- Study of the ubiquitous usage of mobile services and applications for successful m-Government deployment in the Mauritian ecosystem
- Data governance relative to the concept of Big Data
- Introduction of augmented reality as a pedagogical tool to enhance learning at tertiary level in Mauritius
- Personal Carbon Footprint Analysis - develop a carbon management framework to assess, reduce and sensitize employees within tertiary education institutions in Mauritius
- An environment for web-based visualization and collaboration
- User Centric Software Engineering for Intelligent Environments
- Using visualisation tool for teaching Java Programming to novices
Mauritius Institute of Health
- Research areas include: Health systems Research, epidemiological studies and the evaluation of health programmes
Examples of research projects undertaken are provided below:
- Use of ICT tools in Healthcare and home follow-up of patients - monitoring and in-home follow-up of patients suffering from Type 2 Diabetes
- A study of ehealth prospects and challenges in Mauritius
- HIV Infection and risk behaviour among seamen in the Indian Ocean (completed 2009, funded by the Indian Ocean Commission (COI))
- Medicine price availability, affordability and price components in the Republic of Mauritius (completed 2009, funded by WHO)
- International tobacco control (ITC) policy evaluation project: ITC Mauritius survey (Cohort Study) (Completed in 2012, funded by the University of Waterloo)
- Mauritius birth defects registry (Commenced 2011, funded by the Ministry of Health and WHO)
- National Cancer Registry (Commenced 2005, funded by the Ministry of Health and WHO)
- Social and Economic Determinants of Health (Completed 2013, funded by the WHO)
- Contraceptive Prevalence Survey 2014 (Completed 2016, funded by the UNFPA)
- KABP of Breastfeeding in Mauritius (2013 - 2017, funded by Minsitry of Health and Quality of Life)
- Health and Socio-economic impact of severe and fatal road traffic injuries in the island of Mauritius (due to be completed by Oct 2018)
Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute
- Research areas include: Sugarcane agronomy, biopesticides, production of bioplastics, Molecular markers for earliness/disease resistance, Crop productivity using historical data and satellite imagery, Land use change detection, Sugarcane biomass evaluation, Bioinformatics for sugarcane genome studies, and pathogens characterisation
Examples of research projects undertaken are provided below:
- 2010 Land Use Map of Mauritius using satellite imagery (2008 - 2011)
- Production Environment of sugarcane crop for Miller/-Corporate planters (2000-2010). Project Crop improvement 4.7 (2009 - 2014)
- Efficient conjunctive use of water for sustainable sugar cane production (software development for real-time irrigation management) (2010 - 2015, funded by the EU Sugar Research Program)
- Weed Identification and Knowledge in the Western Indian Ocean (database and software development) (2013 - 2016, funded by the EU ACP-Sugar Research Program)
- Production Environment of sugarcane crop for Miller/-Corporate planters (2000-2010). Project Crop improvement 4.7 (2011 - 2016, funded by the EU ACP-Sugar Research Program)
- Evaluating the sugarcane yield potential of non-miller planters in the Eastern and Northern sectors using GIS mapping (2016-2020)
- Identifying abandoned lands, using GIS and satellite imagery, and evaluating the yield potential of cane lands among non-miller planters (2016-2020)
- Setting up of a Mauritius Barcode of life (MBOL): Application of DNA barcoding for agricultural insect pest management - The project aims at creating a comprehensive DNA barcode data for insect pests in Mauritius which will help to prompt identification of pest problems and to generate DNA Barcodes of parasitoids (beneficial insects) of local pests. The final objective is to develop the Mauritius Barcode of Life database (MBOL), which will be fully a searchable database for all barcodes generated in this study. (2017-2019, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Leveraging cloud computing to build advanced data analytics platform for sugarcane research and crop monitoring - New sugarcane varieties are developed through a hybridization and selection programme. It relies heavily on IT operated systems for handling the voluminous data generated. Data stored goes back to 50 years. The data available also include climatic and crop data. The objective of the project is to take advantage of cloud computing to provide cost effective solutions to safeguard the information stored and provide ubiquitous access, develop user-friendly data analytics and reporting tools. (2017-2019, Funded by Mauritius Research Council)
- Bioinformatics - With the advent of next generation sequencing, there has been an exponential growth in nucleic acids sequence data. Several projects at the MSIRI (RADseq for MAS, whole genome sequencing of pathogens, transcriptomics for differential gene expression) have generated a wealth of data that need to be stored and analysed. In addition, a wealth of sequence data is available from external databases for public use. To meet the needs for manipulating such large volumes of data, Bioinformatics tools with a local server are required. Several applications dealing with sequence data manipulation are installed and are currently being used for daily bioinformatics activities. It is also connected to a 30 mbps internet fibre in order to be able to access external servers remotely for big data transfer and manipulation.
Projects:
- Application of CRISPR, a new breeding technique, to sugarcane improvement
- QTL mapping and identification of molecular markers linked to early ripening, high sucrose and fibre content
- Application of genomic selection to the breeding programme of sugarcane
- Molecular diversity of new varieties introduced in germplasm collection for breeding purposes
- QTL mapping and identification of molecular markers for Sugarcane yellow leaf virus resistance
- Development of molecular diagnostic tools for major sugarcane diseases
- Sugarcane yellow leaf virus: genetic diversity studies of the virus.
- Developing applications with drone technology for monitoring and improving sugarcane production - The use of remote imagery captured by drones has tremendous potential to identify variations in the fields. Such images have high spatial and temporal resolutions and can be applied in zonal mapping, quantify biotic (pest, diseases, weeds) and abiotic (moisture stress, nutrient deficiencies) variables so that corrective measures can be taken. Drone system equipped with multi-spectral sensors together with associated software for image interpretation and analysis will be used. (2017-2020)
ICT-39 Priority Themes
Based on consultation with stakeholders the following thematic areas are considered to be important in the context of the ICT-39 Call:
| Thematic Areas | Topics | Partners |
| Energy | Smart Environment/Grids; Low Carbon Electricity Supply; Energy Efficiency; Alternative Fuels | University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research, Mauritius Research Council; Charles Telfair Institute |
| Climate Action | Climate monitoring, Sustainable Environment Management, Waste Management, Geospatial Analysis | University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research, Mauritius Research Council, Middlesex University, Université des Mascareignes |
| Sustainable Agriculture & Maritime Research | Sustainable Agriculture; Land use change; Real time irrigation management using Met data; Bioeconomy; mAgriculture | University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute |
| Smart Green & Integrated Transport | Smart Mobility, Green Transport | University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Université des Mascareignes, Mauritius Research Council University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Université des Mascareignes,
Mauritius Research Council
|
| eHealth | Integrated Healthcare, Health Monitoring for diabetes and other conditions | University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Open University of Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes; Mauritius Institute of Health; Mauritius Research Council University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Open University of Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes; Mauritius Institute of Health;
Mauritius Research Council
|
Mapping to H2020 Themes
The mapping to Horizon 2020 Research areas is summarised below:
| Horizon 2020 Industrial Leadership | Institution, Relevant Dept and Research area |
| Components and Systems | University of Mauritius (Mechanical and Production Engineering Dept): Adaptive Coding Techniques for Data Transmission, Growth of Nanostructured Materials |
| Advanced Computing | University of Mauritius (Computer Science and Engineering Department): Intelligent/Computational Intelligent Systems: Neural Networks; Fuzzy and Immune Systems, Quantum Computing; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Innovative Technologies & Engineering): Scientific Computing; Mauritius Research Council : Simulation Software; Open University of Mauritius: Simulation Software |
| Future Internet | University of Mauritius (Computer Science and Engineering Department): Software agents, Software oriented services; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Innovative Technologies & Engineering): Mobile Computing, Future Internet; Université des Mascareignes - Softwares and Services, Heuristic Search Procedures for Cryptanalysis, Mobile programming; Middlesex University, Mauritius: Cloud Computing |
| Content Technologies & Information Management | University of Mauritius (Computer Science and Engineering Department): Metadata Development, Ontology Engineering; Open University of Mauritius: Content Access and Analytics, Data Mining, Advanced Interfaces; Middlesex University, Mauritius: User Interfaces, Big Data; Université des Mascareignes - algorithms for web information retrieval, customer relationship management in higher education; Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute - Statistical analysis and visual computing, big data technologies |
| Robotics | University of Mauritius (Mechanical and Production Engineering Dept): Computational Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction; Open University of Mauritius - Cognitive Systems, Advanced Interfaces |
| Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges | Institution, Relevant Dept and Research area |
| Health | University of Mauritius (Computer Science and Engineering Department): Health Patient Records, Healthcare Information Systems; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental Health; Open University of Mauritius - eHealth, Integrated Care; Université des Mascareignes - eHealth; Mauritius Research Council & Mauritius Institute of Health - Understanding Health, Wellbeing and Disease |
| Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture | University of Mauritius (Dept of Chemical & Environmental Engineering): Sustainable Agriculture & Bio-Economy; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): Supporting development of bio-economy; Mauritius Research Council - Aquatic Living Resources; Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute - Development of biopesticides, production of bioplastics, Sugarcane productivity in various agro-ecological zones |
| Energy | University of Mauritius (Dept of Chemical & Environmental Engineering and Mechanical and Production Engineering Dept): Energy engineering and management, Renewable energy technologies; Technology Transfer of Renewable Energy Technologies, Energy Security access and efficiency; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): Energy Efficiency Management Programs; Mauritius Research Council: Low-Carbon Electricity Supply; Alternative Fuels and Mobile Energy Sources; New Knowledge and Technologies ; Charles Telfair Institute: Green ICT; Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute - Efficient use of energy resources in sugarcane processing |
| Smart, Green and Integrated Transport | University of Mauritius, Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering: Green Transport ; University of Technology, School of Sustainable Development and Tourism: Socio-Economic Research Transport Management Systems ; Mauritius Research Council: Socio-Economic Research and Forward Looking Activities for Policy Making; Université des Mascareignes : Web/mobile based traffic fluidity monitoring |
| Climate Action, Environment, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials | University of Mauritius (Dept of Chemical & Environmental Engineering): Waste management; Waste-to-Energy; Climate change, Environmental impact assessment, Degradability/biodegradability of solid wastes, Solid Waste Management; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): Sustainable Environment Management, Tourism, Leisure, Society and Education, Green IT, Sustainability Assessment, Tourism development and assessment, Transition Towards a Green Economy and Society, Service Experience and Economy; Université des Mascareignes: Climate Change & Environment; Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute: Identification of agro-ecological zones' boundary with climate change for adapted sugarcane production and management; Middlesex University: Geospatial Analysis |
| Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies | University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): eServices; Mauritius Research Council: Inclusive Societies; University of Technology Mauritius (School of Innovative Technologies & Engineering): Technology-enhanced Learning; University of Mauritius, Virtual Centre for Innovative Learning Technologies: Technology enhanced learning; Charles Telfair Institute: Technology-enhanced Learning; Open University of Mauritius: Technology-enhanced Learning; eGovernment Services; Université des Mascareignes: Technology-enhanced Learning; social media and e-marketing |
| Secure Societies | University of Technology Mauritius (School of Sustainable Development and Tourism): Resilience to Crises and Disasters; Université des Mascareignes: Secure Societies; Open University of Mauritius : Cybersecurity |
Level of Research Maturity
Mauritius has a good research base. Institutions have good experience undertaking research at national level and are building a track record of collaborative research both through FP7 and ACP programmes. Research capacity has been validated by NCB in cooperation with the institutions listed. There has been an increase in the number of PhD students graduating and number of peer reviewed scientific publications over the past 15 years.
Now that ICT has become the third most important economic pillar, there is a sense of urgency in the Government and in the research community to leverage the opportunity that the IST-Africa Strategic Partnership presents. This is reflected by the enthusiasm to get involved in the development of Living Labs in Mauritius, to reinforce the impact of other government activities.
While there is clearly a strong - and successful focus on technology adoption and developing applications, strengthening research capacity within the country is on the Government's agenda. There is now a much higher level of awareness of pan-African and international ideas of what level of research maturity is required and a greater focus on the development of research results with the potential to achieve sustainable socio-economic impact.
Joining the IST-Africa Consortium has enabled the National Computer Board to raise awareness at the highest level of the Mauritian research community about the Framework Programme, the types of ICT related research being undertaken internationally and the opportunities available to partner with other countries in research proposals which may benefit Mauritius and the region. Participation in IST-Africa also provides the opportunity to learn about projects and good practices from other countries that can be adapted and replicated locally. Research institutions in Mauritius have become much more aware of the Framework Programme and specific calls and more pro-active about research.
Up to September 2018 Mauritius organisations have been successful in 2 Horizon 2020 projects
- H2020-ICT-2016-INT- IST-Africa 2016-2018 (CSA) - National Computer Board
- H2020-MSCA-RISE-2016 - SLAFNET (MSCA-RISE) - University of Mauritius
