The development of research and its priorities in Madagascar are driven by the international conventions to which the country is a party.

"Science in Madagascar is a young science that has recently evolved. It is only in the last ten years or so that scientists have been thinking about their role in the development landscape of a country that fights poverty and must face challenges shared at the international level through the conventions that our country has ratified and signed, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the International Conference on Population and Sustainable Development.

Research should therefore define its role in this context. Our participation in international and regional fora in the Indian Ocean, particularly in Africa, has helped us enormously to better frame the interventions and contributions of research for development.

There was a need to promote the results of research for development, to place education and scientific research at the heart of the country's economic and social development objectives, by building on existing potentialities that are both human and natural, and by being connected and responsive to the real needs of the population and the country.

We must therefore revitalize and boost education, higher education, research and innovation, which will help to meet the challenges and promote competitiveness.

This is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, adopted in 2015. It should also be noted that the achievement of this objective concerns all three sub-sectors of education: basic education, science education, and also professional education."