Mauritius boasts an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.3 million km2 with substantial blue biotechnology prospects. The Central Indian Ocean is a striking marine biodiversity hotspot with recent discovery of hydrothermal vents within the EEZ of Mauritius. This has opened new avenues for exploration and exploitation of unique organisms and features (Nakamura et al., 2012). Marine Biotechnology has hence been identified as one of the priority activities with substantial potential for wealth and job creation in the Ocean Economy. Hence, with a view to anchor this nascent sector in the new economic framework of the country, the Board of Investment has held a series of meetings with relevant public and private stakeholders to capture a holistic picture of the current standing of the industry in Mauritius and set a developmental pathway for the sector.
In order to foster growth in this highly promising sector, it is essential to strengthen the fundamentals of the industry, namely, research and development, relevant infrastructural set up and the institution of an enabling legal and regulatory framework. It will be further important to valorize existing knowledge linked to the marine resources and synergize public sector efforts with private sector needs. Finally, it will be important to create the required networking and interaction between the blue, green and red biotechnology initiatives to develop a roadmap for a niche and unique value proposition for Mauritius to stand as an exquisite investment hub in the biotechnology sector.
To achieve the above, the Board of Investment, in collaboration with the United States Embassy, is organizing a one-day workshop on the 13th of November 2017 at Le Meridien Hotel, Pointe aux Piments.
We invite you to participate in the workshop and look forward to fruitful discussions.
In order to foster growth in this highly promising sector, it is essential to strengthen the fundamentals of the industry, namely, research and development, relevant infrastructural set up and the institution of an enabling legal and regulatory framework. It will be further important to valorize existing knowledge linked to the marine resources and synergize public sector efforts with private sector needs. Finally, it will be important to create the required networking and interaction between the blue, green and red biotechnology initiatives to develop a roadmap for a niche and unique value proposition for Mauritius to stand as an exquisite investment hub in the biotechnology sector.
To achieve the above, the Board of Investment, in collaboration with the United States Embassy, is organizing a one-day workshop on the 13th of November 2017 at Le Meridien Hotel, Pointe aux Piments.
We invite you to participate in the workshop and look forward to fruitful discussions.
