Marocco

Cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Morocco curently focuses on research projects in the areas of biodiversity, climate- and energy-efficient structures in tomorrow's megacities, global change, and the hydrological cycle. These research projects are flanked by sustainable collaborations between German research and educational institutions and Moroccan partners. For example, there are twelve collaborations between German and Moroccan universities to promote the mutual development of research and teaching, some of which have existed since the 1960s.

Political framework for scientific and technological cooperation

The most important political framework for scientific and technological cooperation between the governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Morocco is a Memorandum of Understanding on scientific and technological cooperation which was signed in 1998.  There are also agreements on cultural cooperation concluded by individual Federal Ministries in 1987 and agreements on development policy measures in the areas of water, climate protection, environmental protection and renewable energy which were concluded in 2008. An agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco was concluded in 2005.

Current priorities of cooperation

The joint German-Moroccan PMARS funding programme (Programme Maroc-Allemand de Recherche Scientifique, duration: 2010-2012) is currently the focus of bilateral cooperation. It promotes the initiation and further development of partnerships and bilateral collaborations between German and Moroccan institutions in areas of science, research and technology which are of mutual interest. The BMBF and the Moroccan Ministry of Research (Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Formation des Cadres et de la Recherche Scientifique) are working together in this area for the first time. The bilateral and multilateral projects outlined below illustrate further key areas of cooperation:

• The collaborative project between the German Water Partnership and the Moroccan "Pôle de Compétences Eau & Environnement" has the aim of opening up new innovation potential in the area of water management and water research in a joint approach. In addition to the competences in the field of water management and water research which are being pooled in this project, the future investment needs in the areas of water supply and wastewater disposal in Morocco play an important role. The BMBF is funding this project under the Federal Government's Internationalization Strategy.
• Morocco is a partner in the German-African researcher network BIOTA AFRICA (Biodiversity Monitoring Transect Analysis in Africa), which includes more than 400 researchers from 13 countries. It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and research (BMBF) and a number of African institutions. The regional network BIOTA Morocco focused on the subjects of land use and vegetation dynamics as well as the transfer of environmental process analyses to land use planning on the edge of the High Atlas Mountains.
• One of the subjects addressed in the BMBF's funding priority "Research for the Sustainable Development of Tomorrow's Megacities" is the aspect of "energy- and climate-efficient structures in urban growth centres". The funding measure is a globally oriented supporting component of the Federal Government's "High-Tech Strategy for Climate Protection". The focus of the project's activities in Casablanca is on urban agriculture as an integrative factor of climate-optimized urban development.
• Moroccan researchers can participate in the measure "study and research scholarships of today for the megacities of tomorrow", which is also open to applicants from Vietnam, India, China, Iran, Peru, South Africa, and Ethiopia.
• The BMBF's funding priority "Global Change and the Hydrological Cycle" (GLOWA) developed basic knowledge needed to make decisions for planning and investment measures. As part of the IMPETUS project activity in Morocco, all aspects of the hydrological cycle were studied in two river basins in Western Africa: the Wadi Draa in South-Eastern Morocco and the Ouémé in Benin.
• Finally, there are close ties between German and Moroccan R&D institutions in the context of the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme. More than half of all projects in which Morocco is involved also include German partners. These research projects focus on the research areas of energy, the environment, nutrition and medicine.

Special activities of scientific and intermediary organizations

Numerous university and non-university research and education institutions are involved in collaborative activities with Moroccan partner institutions. For example, there are collaborations between the German Research Association (DFG) and the National Centre for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST), between the German Archaeological Institute and the National Archaeological Research Centre (INSAP), and between the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam (GFZ) and the Universities in El Jadida, Fes and Marrakech, to name but a few. The Fraunhofer Society (FhG) and Moroccan partner organizations work together on a project-by-project basis, for example in the fields of rural electrification and water treatment. The German Academic Exchange Service provides funding for a lecturer who works in Rabat. The Goethe Institute runs offices in Casablanca and Rabat and a German Dialogue Centre in Marrakech. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) has been awarding research fellowships to Moroccan scientists since the 1980s.