Initialed by CNRST Director Jamila El Alami and Chief Scientist of Quebec Rémi Quirion, the agreement covers health sciences, adaptation to climate change and water management.
It is part of the joint efforts of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation and the CNRST to strengthen international collaboration and promote Moroccan scientific research at the international level.
A joint call for projects will be launched on May 31 to finance scientific research projects that will receive $1.35 Mln in funding from the Quebec side, and $9 Mln from the Moroccan side, El Alami said in a speech on this occasion.
This specific agreement is the first implementation of the framework agreement signed in September 2021 between the Ministry, the QRF and the CNRST, she added. The agreement also reflects the willingness of CNRST to further promote scientific research and innovation by providing teachers and researchers with new resources and expertise to carry out new innovative projects on national priorities.
This cooperation will prepare a new generation of doctoral students of international standing, El Alami said.
For his part, Quirion stressed that this agreement, the first in North Africa for the QRF, strengthens the capacity of both parties to address major societal challenges.
He further stated that strengthening cooperation with Morocco, which "we consider as a gateway to Africa," will promote greater openness to the continent.
The framework of this cooperation will be expanded in the future by additional material and human resources, with a view to including other themes and countries, Quirion said.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of a Quebec-Morocco scientific day that featured two round tables on "Stimulating international research collaborations between Quebec and Morocco" and "Innovation and commercialization of research: Building bridges between education and business in Morocco and Quebec."
The QRF includes three research funds (Nature and technologies; Health; Society and culture) which focus on supporting and promoting research.