MINISTERE DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR ET DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

Their core work

MESRS is Burundi's national government ministry responsible for higher education policy, university governance, and national research strategy. In H2020, it participated as an African government counterpart in two EU-Africa coordination projects — RINEA (a pan-African research cooperation network) and IST-Africa (an ICT and digital innovation initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa). Its contribution is institutional and political rather than technical: providing government-level endorsement, facilitating national research community access to European networks, and representing Burundian science and technology policy interests in multilateral forums. It does not conduct research directly but serves as the official national gateway bridging Burundi's higher education ecosystem and international scientific partnerships.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both projects started in 2015-2016, and the entire keyword record belongs to the RINEA project from that early period: EU-African cooperation, science, technology, innovation, networking, coordinated funding, policy support. No keywords exist for later periods because MESRS recorded no further H2020 activity after 2016, leaving the profile frozen in the early participation window. This absence of later engagement suggests the ministry did not build on its initial EU project experience to deepen or diversify its research cooperation — the profile shows a brief entry into EU networks rather than sustained growth.

With no H2020 activity recorded after 2016 and both projects being policy coordination actions rather than research grants, future collaboration potential is strongest in EU-Africa policy dialogue and digital inclusion initiatives rather than in any technical or scientific domain.

How they like to work

MESRS has participated exclusively as a project partner and has never taken a coordinator role across either of its H2020 projects. It operates in large, internationally diverse consortia — 27 unique partners across 26 countries — which is characteristic of EU-Africa policy networks that aggregate government ministries and research bodies from multiple African nations into a single project structure. This pattern suggests MESRS is most comfortable and most valuable as a national government representative in broad multilateral networks, contributing institutional legitimacy rather than driving project execution.

Despite only two projects, MESRS has connected with 27 distinct partners across 26 countries — a broad geographic footprint achieved entirely through participation in large multinational EU-Africa cooperation networks. This reach is extensive in scope but shallow in depth, reflecting network membership rather than recurring bilateral partnerships.

What sets them apart

MESRS is one of very few Burundian institutions represented in the H2020 database at all, making it a rare official entry point for EU research initiatives requiring East African government engagement. As the national ministry, it can provide policy-level legitimacy, help navigate Burundi's higher education ecosystem, and formally represent national research interests in cross-continental consortia. For projects that need to demonstrate African government involvement — particularly in digital development or science cooperation mandates — MESRS offers direct access to Burundi's highest research policy authority.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RINEA
  The larger of MESRS's two projects (EUR 39,364), RINEA established a pan-African research and innovation network linking European and African institutions, and generated the fullest keyword record available for this organization.
• IST-Africa 2016-2018
  Part of the established long-running IST-Africa series — a recognized EU initiative for ICT cooperation across Sub-Saharan Africa — giving MESRS a connection to a structured multi-year digital cooperation framework beyond a one-off project.