Morocco, France join forces to set up new research centre

Morocco, in cooperation with France, will establish a joint research centre, Le Centre de Recherche Franco-Marocain, the first of its kind in Africa, for supporting scientific and technological innovation for sustainable development in the region.

A Morocco-France agreement to set up the centre was signed on 28 October by Noureddine Mouaddib, the president of the International University of Rabat, Antoine Petit, the chairman and chief executive officer of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Professor Nathalie Drach-Temam, the president of Sorbonne University, during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Morocco.

The centre’s launch is one of several Africa-France initiatives that have been announced in recent times, signalling science diplomacy as part of France’s efforts to confront some of the anti-French sentiments that have been present in the region, in particular in West Africa.

Research and innovation hub

Speaking to University World News, Drach-Temam said the centre aims to be a leading international hub for research and innovation in Africa.

“By fostering knowledge exchanges, developing joint academic programmes and promoting the mobility of students, PhD candidates and researchers, [the centre] will contribute to the development of human capital and technological advancement in both Morocco and France,” she added.

France is the top destination for Arab students, receiving 29% of them, particularly from North African countries such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, according to the Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students, an interactive map published by the Canada-based UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Said Drach-Temam: “This centre addresses societal challenges by focusing on areas like AI, renewable energy, social sciences and humanities.

“Key challenges that might face the centre include securing sustainable funding, ensuring effective coordination and attracting top researchers and talented students.

“The centre is a significant step in Franco-Moroccan cooperation. [It] will establish long-term sustainability through strategic partnerships and international collaborations to become a leading research and innovation hub,” she said.

She noted that the centre can rely on the trust that has been built already between French and Moroccan universities, particularly in recent years through the strategic partnership between Sorbonne University and the International University of Rabat.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to international collaboration and co-development of research and higher education, working together to address global scientific challenges related to major societal transitions,” Drach-Temam added.

Strategic partnership

Dr Abdennasser Naji, the president of the Amaquen Institute, an education think tank in Morocco, told University World News: “The creation of the Franco-Moroccan research centre will bring together French and Moroccan researchers in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields, including artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, renewable energy and hydrogen [research] as well as human and social sciences

"[Moreover,] this centre will bring together prestigious institutions such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the University of Lorraine, the University of Franche-Comté and Sorbonne University, the International University of Rabat, the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, the Mohammed V University and the Ibn Tofail University," Naji said.

“Its creation is part of the new dynamic of strategic partnership, the agreement of which was signed by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, which also includes French-Moroccan universities partnerships,” he said.

These collaborations focus on actions including supporting partnerships in university training, boosting scientific cooperation in priority areas by strengthening the relationship with businesses, and supporting collaboration on the governance of the higher education, research and innovation ecosystem through reinforced institutional capacities, according to Naji.

France’s soft power

Asked about the centre as an expression of France’s efforts on the science diplomacy or ‘soft power’ front, including the building of regional alliances and partnerships in Africa for serving French political, economic and cultural agendas, Naji said: “Scientific research will serve the France-Morocco partnership, whether in terms of strengthening the bilateral relationship by supporting investment projects between the two countries, or in terms of co-investment in Africa, given that France is losing its reputation on the African continent, and Morocco, on the other hand, enjoys increasingly strong African recognition.”

Naji added: “The pillar of scientific research will certainly have a considerable impact on this perspective as it serves the interests of both countries.”

Naji’s view is supported by an August 2017 report, A new strategy for France in a new Arab world, which indicated that, in North Africa, France’s soft power is decreasing and it called for enhancing it through the diffusion of language and culture in countries of the Maghreb, namely, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Although the study was done several years ago, this situation appears to persist.

The Global Soft Power Index (GSPI) in 2023 which evaluated soft power strength based on higher education and science capabilities, among other indicators, ranked France in position six out of 193 countries worldwide.

The GSPI stated: “While it [France] has made strides as a leader in technology and innovation, there has been a decline in its education and science score, indicating areas for improvement.”

With 21 international leaders educated on its territory, including serving leaders educated in France, who include 10 serving presidents, nine prime ministers and two monarchs, France ranks as the third country with the strongest influence in the world after the United States and United Kingdom, according to the 2023 annual Soft-Power Index published by the UK-based Higher Education Policy Institute. Monarchs include the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, the holder of a law doctorate achieved with honours at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in 1993.

This news report was updated on 17 November.