UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT
n The third InnovAct programme was launched by the
Moroccan Research Association in 2011, according to
Erawatch. Whereas the programme’s two predecessors
(launched in 1998 and 2005) had targeted SMEs, the
new programme has extended the beneficiary groups
to include consortia of enterprises. SMEs are expected to
pay 50–60% and consortia 80% of the project costs. The
scheme encourages university–industry collaboration;
companies receive logistical support and the financial
means to recruit university graduates to work on their
research project. The programme aims to support up to
30 enterprises each year operating mainly in the following
industries: metallurgical, mechanical, electronic and
electrical; chemical and parachemical; agro-food; textiles;
technologies for water and environment; aeronautics;
biotechnology; nanotechnology; off-shoring; and
automotive;
n The Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technology funded
15 research projects in 2008 and 2009. Calls for research
proposals encourage private–public collaboration and take
into consideration the project’s potential socio-economic
impact or spillovers;
n MoHESR places a number of poles of competence
under contract for four years to bring together public
and private research establishments together on a joint
project through its accredited laboratories. There were
18 poles of competence up until 2010 but these have since
been whittled down to 11 after several did not meet the
ministry’s new criteria for funding. The networks include
one on medicinal and aromatic plants, another on higher
energy physics, a third on condensed matter and systems
modelling and a fourth on neurogenetics;
n The Moroccan Spin-off and Incubation Network (Réseau
Maroc incubation et essaimage) 18 supports business
18. See: www.rmie.ma
incubation, in general, and technology transfer through
university spin-offs, in particular. It provides start-ups
with pre-seed capital to help them develop a solid
business plan. The network is co-ordinated by the CNRST
and currently groups 14 incubators at some of the top
Moroccan universities.
One in five graduates moves abroad
Each year, 18% of Moroccan graduates head mainly for
Europe and North America; this trend has led to calls for
foreign universities to be established in Morocco and for the
development of prestigious campuses.
The Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology has
international scientific outreach. In addition to recommending
research priorities and evaluating research programmes, it
helps Moroccan scientists to network with their national and
international peers. The academy has identified a number
of sectors where Morocco has a comparative advantage
and skilled human capital, including mining, fisheries, food
chemistry and new technologies. It has also identified a
number of strategic sectors, such as energy, with an emphasis
on renewable energies such as photovoltaic, thermal solar
energy, wind and biomass; as well as the water, nutrition
and health sectors, the environment and geosciences (HAST,
2012).
A growing investment in renewable energy
Morocco is expanding its investment in renewable energies
(Box 17.4). A total of MAD 19 million (circa US$ 2 million)
has been earmarked for six R&D projects in the field of solar
thermal energy, under agreements signed by the Institute for
Research in Solar and New Energy (IRESEN) with scientific and
industrial partners. Moreover, IRESEN is currently financing
research in the field of renewable energy that is being
conducted by more than 200 engineers and PhD students
and some 47 university teachers-cum-researchers.
Box 17.4: Morocco plans to lead Africa in renewables by 2020
Morocco has decided to compensate for
its lack of hydrocarbons by becoming
the leader in Africa for renewable energy
by 2020. In 2014, it inaugurated the
continent’s biggest wind farm at Tarfaya
in the southwest of the country.
The government’s latest project is to
create the world’s biggest solar farm at
Ouarzazate. The first phase, known as
Noor I, should be completed by
October 2015.
A consortium led by the Saudi Arabian
company Acwa Power and its Spanish
partner Sener won the call for tenders
for the first phase and Acwa Power
has just won the same for the second
phase. It is estimated that it will cost the
consortium nearly € 2 billion to build
and run Noor II (200 MW) and Noor III
(150 MW).
The project is also being funded by
donors such as the German public
bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau
(€ 650 million) and the World Bank
(€ 400 million).
Ultimately, the Ouarzazate solar farm
will have a capacity of 560 MW but the
government doesn’t intend to stop
there. It plans to produce 2 000 MW of
solar power by 2020.
Source: Le Monde (2015)
458