Patricia Gruber, a Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State Office, is anticipated to visit Morocco later this month, as reported by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).
The US diplomat will be attending the National Academies’ second U.S-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium, which will take place in partnership with Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology on January 16-18, 2024 in Rabat.
In her interview with FYI, a source for science policy news, she revealed that this visit is part of the efforts to increase the number of the US Regional Technology Officers (RTO) stationed globally, from six to over a dozen.
Gruber, who has been tasked with promoting international S&T cooperation since September 2023, revealed her ambitious plan to expand the RTO program to regions with less established relationships, with a particular focus on strengthening connections with African countries.
These RTOs, launched in 2021, play a vital role in fostering relationships with industry partners and energizing the science and technology ecosystem in each region.
In July 2023, Morocco and the United States fortified their scientific cooperation and extended their Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation until July 2033.
The initial Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement, signed on November 14, 2006, and put into effect on February 8, 2012, had only a ten-year term.
The renewed pact, signed by Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation Abdellatif Miraoui and U.S. Ambassador Puneet Talwar, aims to promote collaboration for another ten years in key domains like climate change, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
Talwar, during the signing ceremony, emphasized the crucial role of science and technology in promoting economic growth and sustainable development in Morocco and the United States.
“We look forward to seeing this Agreement paving the way for further collaboration between science communities in our two countries, reinforcing our mutual commitment to foster joint scientific work,” previously said the US Embassy in Morocco.
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