Science and technology: Collaboration between Morocco and the United States has never been so dense

The opportunities for collaboration between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America have never been so dense, said the advisor for science and technology to the American Secretary of State, Patricia Gruber. + A – A Ms. Gruber underlined that “the opportunities for collaboration between Morocco and the United States on issues of international concern, such as access to energy, the fight against climate change, health and food security, have never been so dense”. The US official, in this sense, noted the timely nature of the signing, in July 2023, of the protocol modifying and extending the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement between Morocco and the United States, underlining the desire of the two countries to cement this partnership. Signed in 2006 and entered into force in 2012 for a period of ten years, this agreement, renewed from 2023 to 2033, aims to continue and further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fields of scientific and technological research. Highlighting the substantial investments made by the Kingdom in many key areas of science and technology, Ms. Gruber welcomed the reform of higher education in Morocco, which will further facilitate collaboration between the Kingdom and the United States, particularly with regard to student exchanges between American and Moroccan universities. Referring to Morocco’s efforts to promote the status of women, particularly in the scientific and technological fields, the US official maintained that it is extremely important to encourage more women to move into the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine. “This is a very important question for both Morocco and the United States,” she said, noting that 43% of the participants in this 2nd US-Africa Frontiers Program Symposium, who come from African universities, are women. In Ms. Gruber’s opinion, this proves that « we are certainly making real progress, but there is still a long way to go. » She also emphasized the major role of mentoring to ensure that women are supported and accompanied in these areas and can thus achieve their goals. Regarding cybersecurity, an aspect on which all scientific and technological development is based today, the American official recalled that success in this area requires openness, the exchange of ideas and data likely to advance scientific research. This progress must, however, not be achieved at the expense of national security, intellectual property rights, personal privacy or human rights, she insisted, noting the importance of ensuring the security of networks for this purpose. She also highlighted the need to take advantage of best practices in cybersecurity to better identify risks and improve threat detection.

source: menara.ma