07 – 11 November 2022 - UoM Research Week 2022

The UoM Research Week 2022 was held from 07 to 11 November 2022 on the theme ‘Fostering Research through SDGs to empower Society’. The focus was on the intertwining relationship between research conducted by the academic community of the UoM to the benefit of the society. This relationship aimed at providing evidence-based research conducted on the 17 SDGs and their implications for the society at large. This 14^th Edition was undertaken through a hybrid mode allowing researchers; staff, students and partner organisations to showcase their findings via both in-person presentation as well as virtual interactions. The event was sponsored by Emtel Ltd, the UOM Trust and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Following the Call for Participation and blind review of the abstracts through the Easy Chair platform, 172 Abstracts were accepted for oral and poster presentations.

Day 1 (07 November 2022) - The Honourable (Mrs) Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, GCSK, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology was the Guest of Honour for the Opening Ceremony while Ms Aruna Radhakeesoon, Founder and Director of Prakriti One Ltd delivered a Keynote Address on “National ESG Framework”. Parallel Plenary Sessions were held afterwards, during which the following eight (8) Keynote Speakers, addressed the audience.

Plenary Session 1, Lecture Theatre 2 (LT2), New Academic Complex:

Keynote Speakers Title of Keynote address

Mr Sudhamo Lal, CSK

Director-General Mauritius Revenue Authority “Inequality, Taxation and Sustainable Development Goals”

Dr Viv Padayatchy

Managing Director, Cybernaptics Ltd “Achieving SDGs through the Transformative Power of Research”

Mr Avinash Meetoo

Head of Experimentation Accelerator Lab

Digital Advocate, UNDP Mauritius and Seychelles “SDGs and Innovation for the Educational Technologies Sector in Mauritius”

Mr Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory, GOSK

Former Acting President and

Former Vice-President of the Republic of Mauritius “Personal Development for Success in Life”

Plenary Session II, Lecture Theatre 1 (LT1), New Academic Complex:

Keynote Speakers Title of Keynote address

Dr Sunil Gunness

Cardiac Surgeon and Founder, Mauritius Heart Foundation “Cardiac Surgery in the Indian Ocean: An Example of South-South Cooperation”

Dr Ismael Adam Essackjee

Senior Engineer, Central Electricity Board/Meta-Coach “Why our Survival dangerously pivots around Research biased towards the SDGs”

Dr Yogesh Parmessur

Molecular Breeder, Biotechnology Department, MSIRI “Gene Editing: A Game Changer for Agriculture”

Dr Peter Horchler

Senior Scientist, German Federal Institute of Hydrology “German Rivers: Their Role between Economy and Ecology –

Tackling Issues of Climate Change and Water Quality”

Day 2 (08 November 2022) - It was devoted to the Faculty of Information, Communication & Digital Technologies, Faculty of Law and Management and the Centre for Innovative & Lifelong Learning Virtual Research Days with a total of 47 oral and poster presentations.

Day 3 (09 November 2022) - It was dedicated to the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities with 40 oral and poster presentations.

Day 4 (10 November 2022) - The Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Engineering held their Virtual Day with a total of 41 oral and poster presentations.

Day 5 (11 November 2022) – The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science and the Centre for Biomedical & Biomaterials Research (CBBR) organised their Virtual Research Day with a total of 44 oral and poster presentations.

The Closing Ceremony was held on Friday 11 November 2022. The Guest of Honour for the Ceremony was His Excellency Dr Salman Al Farisi, Secretary General, IORA. He delivered a Keynote Address on “Building Research Partnerships in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)”.

The Closing Ceremony also featured the following two presentations:

· ‘IORA and UoM – Prospective and Perspectives’ presented by Assoc Prof Désiré Yannick Tangman, Dean, Faculty of Science.

· ‘The Outcomes of the 14^th Edition of the UoM Research Week in terms of the five most prominent SDGs for UoM’ presented by Assoc Prof Vidushi Neergheen, CBBR

Useful links to the UoM Research Week 2022 are provided below. I invite readers to access them for more information.

· Virtual Oral and Poster Presentations:

https://sites.uom.ac.mu/researchweek/index.php/virtualsessions

· e-Book of Abstracts:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x5tsHJaqrGbjbQjYfku_fXcNbpZB2JH6/view

· Outcomes of the 14th Edition of the UoM Research Week in terms of the Five Most Prominent SDGs:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xCL7Y-zVRyaqCxQuvslfrjBQBuoNB9Eb/view