Morocco has launched three new projects, including a $US 65 million research fund, to encourage partnerships between researchers and businesses and boost investments on cutting edge innovations.

 

The project includes building four new ‘innovation cities’—science and technology hubs that will host research centers, specialized companies and business incubators—will establish the Moroccan Center for Innovation (MCI), and three research funds worth $US 65 million.

 

Moroccan education minister Ahmed Akhchichine said that three innovation cities will be built this year in Fez, Marrakech and Rabat, and the preparations for a fourth center in Casablanca are underway and will be ready next year.

 

The goal of the Moroccan Centre for Innovation, who leads the strategy, is to track down potential inventors at the country’s universities and provide them with the financial backing to implement their innovations.

 

The funds will support grants for young researchers, and the research and development divisions of certain companies according to Ahmed Reda Chami, Morocco’s minister of industry, commerce and new technologies.

 

Youssef Ait Ali, an inventor, said that these grants could help in removing the financial blockades that have continuously obstruct the rolling out of new inventions.

 

“The government is prepared to raise the amounts that are budgeted for encouraging innovation and creativity to keep up with the demand,” Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said.

We’re waiting for your proposals, ideas and projects, and we will provide the necessary means to realise them on the ground

 

These government-backed initiatives have the financial and regulatory framework to heighten and sustain innovation throughout the country. Akhchichine is hopeful at this projects prospects, “Last year, Moroccan universities managed to produce 40 patents, compared with less than 10 patents in the previous year”, he said, giving credit to the government incentives.

 

Moroccan inventors and innovations unions welcomed the new projects but emphasized that there is still a long way to go for the country to maintain a threshold of innovation,

 

Abderrahim Boumediane, president of the Moroccan Inventors and Innovators Association, said most of the government’s reforms in the innovation field could turn out to be ineffective as, “Morocco still doesn’t have a ministry for scientific research”, which hampers the sustainability of such projects.

 

However, according to Akhchichine, the government is currently working to reform this measure and is in the process of creating a legal and regulatory framework for scientific research.