This is an annual inter-college competition open to all secondary colleges in the Republic of Mauritius. This competition, sponsored by Omnicane Foundation through its Corporate Social Responsibility engagement, was established in 1971 and enables students each year to submit their project on a theme of national and international interest. Thus, each year, some 300 students (in teams of 5 students each) submit their projects based on research work, interviews, and discussions.

We have each year a competent independent jury panel chosen in relation to the theme who evaluate some 60 projects received before preselecting shortlisted teams who are invited to make an oral presentation based on which the winner and the two runners-up are awarded. To celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, this year’s theme is about finding innovative solutions for Mauritius’s most pressing challenges as a SIDS: Limited Arable land, vulnerability to climate change, and food security.

We are thus calling on the visionary minds of our youth to explore how quantum science and technology, through data analysis, crop improvement, and sustainable resource management, can help enhance agricultural productivity while promoting sustainability and resilience in our island nation. The project was launched on 10th February 2025, and the submission deadline is the first week of May 2025, while the winners and runner-ups will be announced in August 2025. It is noted that this project competition is endorsed by the Ministry of Education & Human Resources in Mauritius.