Morocco Invests in Scientific Research with a 600 MDH Fund

In Morocco, the health crisis has enabled scientific research to improve its image, as demonstrated by the numerous programs initiated in various fields. This momentum was recently reinforced in the country by the announcement of a fund to support scientific research, endowed with 600 MDH, half of which would come from the private sector.

Graduates will no longer be able to shy away from a doctorate, as the importance of scientific research is being emphasized more than ever. What’s even more encouraging is that the private sector is actively involved in this drive, helping to reinforce the value and impact of scientific research.

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An individual monthly bonus of 7,000 DH

“A 600 MDH fund will come into effect from the start of the next academic year”, said Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, during the parliamentary plenary session. An important feature is that half of this amount will be provided by the private sector. From the start of the new academic year, national universities will have to strengthen scientific research by recruiting 1,000 doctoral students whose mission will be to innovate and create, the Minister emphasized.

These doctoral students will receive an individual monthly bonus of 7,000 DH. The parliamentary session addressed a number of issues, including scholarships, university residences, medical faculties and diploma equivalence.

On the subject of scholarships, Miraoui pointed out that the State currently grants scholarships to 76% of students. He also invited the prefectures and regions to collaborate with the fund set up for this purpose, while highlighting the increase in the budget allocated to scholarships, which has risen from 1.6 MMDH in 2017 to 2.39 MMDH in 2021.

300,000 additional beds in university halls of residence in Morocco

One of the observations raised was the insufficient number of university halls of residence. The Minister responded by explaining that the capacity of university accommodation had been increased by “20,000 new beds”, expressing his wish for a contribution from local authorities. Miraoui concluded his speech by declaring that “we hope to reach a total of around 300,000 beds in university halls of residence by 2030.”

4,000 requests for diploma equivalence every year

The Minister also pointed out that his department receives around 4,000 requests for diploma equivalence every year. To process them, specialized sector commissions meet around thirty times a year, he said.

In detail, he pointed out that equivalence applications relating to the health sciences (general and specialized medicine, paramedical sciences, pharmacy, and dentistry), make up over 50% of the total number of applications received. From January to June 2023, sectoral equivalence commissions examined 1,889 applications.

Of these, 554 were in the legal, literary, and scientific fields. They accounted for 11% of negative decisions. Health sciences accounted for 1,024 files (1% of negative decisions). 311 equivalence files concerned the fields of engineering and architecture (4% of negative decisions).

Another development to be taken into consideration is that a committee will be responsible, in the near future, for publishing a list of foreign universities whose certificates and diplomas will be automatically recognized as equivalent. In addition, the Ministry has taken steps to simplify, digitize and improve the various stages in the process of handling requests for equivalence of diplomas obtained abroad.

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(Featured image by PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay)

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First published in LES ECO.ma, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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