Hebrew U, BGU Sign Historic Agreement With Moroccan University

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev signed historic agreements with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco last week to promote academic collaboration and focus on sustainability issues.

Israel and Morocco normalized diplomatic ties last year as part of the Abraham Accords.

For Hebrew University, these collaborations will include student and academic staff exchanges, joint research and collaborative degrees.

According to the agreement, the universities “are committed to “innovation on a global scale” and will collaborate on areas of mutual interest including agriculture, business, pharmacology, natural sciences, mathematics and computer engineering.

The collaboration between BGU and Morocco’s Polytechnic University will center on sustainability issues like agriculture, water, energy, and ecological restoration.

The agreement sets in place a framework for the exchange of publications and academic materials, mutual access for PhD and master’s students and the development of formats for online education and information sharing, a Hebrew University statement said.

“Hebrew University has long promoted a vision of tapping our academic prominence to forge bonds with the international community.  We take pride in being one of the first Israeli universities to formalize a relationship with our esteemed Moroccan counterpart.  We look forward to the many ways this collaboration will benefit our two countries and the region, at large,” HU President Professor Asher Cohen said.

“We are pleased to concretize this collaboration between UM6P and Hebrew University as one of the first formal partnerships between Universities from Morocco and Israel. I am looking forward to see UM6P and HU working closely together on joint high level research activities, in addition to academic exchanges where faculty and students will benefit from the expertise of both institutions in sciences and technology”, shared Hicham El Habti, president of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

Inaugurated by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in 2017, UM6P is a research university located near Marrakech in Ben Guerir, with additional campuses in Rabat and Laayoune.  UM6P numbers 2,180 undergraduate and postgraduate students.  Its goal is to train the pioneers who will lead the field of applied research and innovation in Africa.