Horizon Europe Information Event - Mauritius

European Union Horizon Europe Programme 

Information Event

Wednesday 19 March 2025

University of Mauritius, Auditorium

Ebene Branch, The Core Complex, Ebene Cybercity

Introduction

The EU Partnership with Africa is a geopolitical priority for the European Union. The two continents hold close geographical, economic and cultural ties, shared history and interests.

The European Union and the African Union are celebrating this year the 15^th anniversary of the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation. Adopted at the third AU-EU Summit in Tripoli in 2010 as an important element of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, the HLPD formulates long-term research and innovation policy priorities to strengthen Africa-Europe cooperation that can be implemented partly through the Horizon Europe programme. The Focus Areas are: (i) Public Health; (ii) Green Transition; (iii) Innovation & Technology and (iv) Capacities for Science.

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.

The programme will help build strategic partnerships and initiatives that would improve the impact of Research and Innovation on the country’s socio-economic development, through: 

• Strengthening the skills of local researchers through the sharing of experiences; 

• Facilitating access to international funding for research projects; 

• Encouraging collaboration between Senegalese and European institutions; 

• Promoting a culture of innovation in universities and businesses. 

• The “Africa Initiatives” of Horizon Europe are packages of topics, organised in calls for proposals, that promote the collaboration between European and African researchers. Topics are designed in line with the four priority areas defined under the AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue [(i) Public Health, (ii) Green Transition, (iii) Innovation & Technology and (iv) Capacities for Science]. 

• The “Africa Initiative I” of Work Programme 2021-2022 included 36 topics, amounting to 350 M€. The “Africa Initiative II” of Work Programme 2023-2024 included 30 topics, amounting to 300 M€. 

• The “Africa Initiative III” will be part of Work Programme 2025, with ~15 topics and a total budget of ~150 M€. that will be launched in April-May 2025. Applicants have to apply through the EU funding & tenders’ portal

The Information Session to be held on 19th March 2025

The focus of the information session will be on the presentation of the Horizon Europe programme and its opportunities for research institutions from both the public and private sector, in the Republic of Mauritius. 

In the Information Session, research and innovation actors of the country will learn about the funding opportunities under the programme, and how to explore and apply for these opportunities. At the end of the Information Session, it is planned to create sustainable networks between researchers and institutions at national and international level, and to develop meaningful collaborative research projects with the possibility to attract more international investment and collaboration.

This Information Session is co-organised by the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, the European Union and EURAXESS Africa. Participants will include Researchers, Academics, Representatives of research and innovation organisations and stakeholders from both the Public and the private sector.

More information on Horizon Europe and AU-EU STI Cooperation

• EU-Africa Cooperation in Research and Innovation

• AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation

• EU-Africa R&I CooperationFactsheet

• Horizon Europe website

• Africa Initiative I Factsheet  

• Horizon Europe Funding & Tenders’ Portal

• National Contact Points (NCPs) Portal

• EURAXESS Africa