Africa-Press – Mauritius. A National Innovation Campaign–Innové Moris, spanning over six months, jointly organised by the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), was launched, this afternoon, during a ceremony held at the Hennessy Park Hotel, in Ebène.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin, the Executive Director of the MRIC, Mr Theesan Bahorun, and the Chairperson of the MRIC, Dr K. S. Sukon, were present on the occasion.
In his address, Minister Balgobin commended the MRIC for striving to entrench innovation within our way of life, and stressed on the importance of catalysing this innovation culture particularly in the younger generation. He remarked that if innovation becomes central to our way of life, there will be no limit to what can be achieved.
Speaking about the Campaign, he underpinned that its aim is to rekindle the innovation spirit among the Mauritian population and make the public aware of the opportunities made available by the MRIC and other partner organisations. With this campaign, we are inviting everyone to imagine with us, a new, faster, and higher trajectory of Mauritian innovation, he stated.
In addition, Mr Balgobin informed that the National Innovation Campaign will culminate in the organisation of “Les Assises de la Recherche et de l’innovation” in Mauritius and Rodrigues tentatively scheduled for April 2022, which will be a platform that initiates a national dialogue and provides the conducive framework for policy revamping while concurrently providing insights on emerging and frontier innovations.
The Minister also dwelt on the consequences of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and underlined that innovation is central to responding to the multitude of challenges that the country faces and will thus help to recover and to build back better.
According to him, the Campaign is poised to drive the transformations required for the country and the people, and enterprises to emerge stronger from this situation.
He further asserted that in the face of the New Normal, it is crucial that we find such new creative and innovative ways to give a new thrust to the socio-economic development of Mauritius.
We want to give voice to the community, to empower them to innovate, and introduce a challenge-driven innovation from the grassroots, as well as instil a culture of innovation not only within academia and industry but also within the community, emphasised Minister Balgobin.
As for Mr Theesan Bahorun, he commended the ongoing initiatives of the MRIC to help thrive innovation in Mauritius. Through this Campaign, we want to galvanise the innovation culture in the country which is essential for the successful implementation of creative ideas to enable further progress of its human, and socioeconomic trajectory, he said.
He dwelt on the objectives of the Campaign, which are to rekindle and sustain the innovation spirit in Mauritius; prompt Mauritians to come forward with innovative ideas and initiatives; boost local innovative spirit; showcase innovations sprouting from local initiatives; and raise awareness around MRIC’s research and innovation endeavours to develop innovation.
Furthermore, he announced that the core activities of the Campaign will include the following activities: Amenn to lidé, translated through roadshows across the country, to inculcate to the nation and popularise the concept of research and innovation initiatives; Check mo lidé, through live conference, Q&A online, live shows, where presenters showcase their project and interact with audience; and the Idea Fair, consisting of a National Innovation School Competition and Exhibition exercise among pre-primary, primary and secondary schools .
Besides, the Chairperson of the MRIC, Dr K. S. Sukon, said that the Campaign seeks to prompt people to change the way they do things, and to change their mindset so that they think differently and think of different results.
Our message through this Campaign is that everyone can innovate, he added. He further affirmed that innovation is key for businesses to survive and is poised to contribute to the success of a country.
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