Morocco, Spain and Portugal signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of scientific and technical research. The agreement was signed on Sunday in Rabat by Moroccan Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training, Lahcen Daoudi, the Spanish Secretary of State for research, development and innovation Carmen Vela Olmo and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Higher Education Ferreira Gomes.
The agreement reflects the interest Morocco, Spain and Portugal have for scientific research, technological development, innovation and promoting the results of research.
The agreement aims to accelerate the implementation of high priority research projects identified in the joint statement “An innovative framework for developing a strategic partnership” signed by the two countries in 2012.
The priority areas of research between the two countries cover four areas: solar energy, marine resources, protection of the environment and woodlands as well as food and biotechnology.
Speaking on this occasion, Daoudi, who emphasized the deep relations of cooperation between Morocco and Spain, noted that bilateral cooperation covers several areas as part of a win-win partnership. He added that this memorandum opens promising prospects to scientific research, one of top priorities at the international level nowadays. Daoudi also expressed the desire to make the Mediterranean a “pool of cooperation.”
The minister, who deplored the lack of scientific laboratories in Morocco, said that the agreement will allow Moroccan researchers to access some European laboratories such as the Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory which is the first ever laboratory dedicated to Nano-science and nanotechnology.
On her part, Vela Olmo noted that the agreement signed reflects the commitment of the three countries to work together for the promotion of scientific research and to address the major challenges facing an increasingly globalized world.
The Moroccan Times.
