Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Abdellatif Miraoui, has pledged to further boost research exchanges for Moroccan and British students.
The remarks came at the 4th meeting of Morocco-UK Higher Education Commission on March 28 in Rabat.
During the meeting Miraoui stressed the importance of academic research in the areas of energy transition, climate change, digital transformation, and health security.
These areas are in line with Morocco’s New Development Model (NDM) which looks to make major reforms in education, health, agriculture, and investment.
Miraoui called for increased cooperation between Morocco and the UK in higher education and scientific research, urging educational institutions from both sides to promote academic exchanges.
The meeting focused on strengthening partnerships in the fields of scientific research, governance and quality assurance, with the internationalization – students studying abroad – of higher education as a shared priority for the two kingdoms.
The director of the British Council Morocco, Tony Reilly, recalled the inaugural meeting of the UK and Morocco Higher Education held in London in January 2020 which also focused on the same topic, and called for intensifying research collaboration between the two countries.
Reilly stressed the need to encourage British universities to establish partnerships in Morocco to stimulate the sharing of experiences, expertise and academic exchanges.
Moroccan and British officials also discussed awarding grants to support international research cooperation between universities as part of the “Research Environment Links” program.
They also highlighted the participation of 60 researchers from 12 Moroccan public universities in an online training session to strengthen their communication skills as part of the “Researcher Connection” program.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Morocco’s National Agency for Assessment and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Scientific Research (ANEAQ) and UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) signed a memorandum of understanding to expand areas they cooperate in.
Morocco and the UK have been intensifying their cooperation in several fields, including trade and culture.
Last week, the British Council in Morocco held a ceremony to celebrate six projects that have benefited from the council’s grants on the sideline of the celebration campaign of the 300th anniversary of Morocco-UK ties.
Read Also: British Council Cements Morocco-UK Ties in Arts and Culture
