US Official: Morocco-US STEM collaboration opportunities have never been more appropriate 

Opportunities for collaboration between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America have never been more appropriate, said Patricia Gruber, Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State.

“The opportunities for us to collaborate on some very significant global challenges, like energy access, climate change, health, food security have never been more appropriate,” said Gruber in an interview with MAP news agency on the sidelines of the 2nd US-Africa Frontiers Program Symposium, which kicked off in Rabat on Tuesday.

In this regard, the U.S. official noted the timeliness of the signing, in July 2023, of the protocol amending and extending the Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between Morocco and the United States, underlining the willingness of both countries to enhance this partnership.

Signed in 2006 and put into effect in 2012 for a period of ten years, this agreement, renewed from 2023 to 2033, aims to pursue and further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fields of scientific and technological research.

Highlighting the big investments made by the Kingdom in many key areas of science and technology, Gruber commended the higher education reform in Morocco, which will further facilitate collaboration between the Kingdom and the United States, particularly in terms of 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 said that it is incredibly important to encourage more women to go into the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine.

“It is just as important” in the United States as it is in Morocco, she said, pointing out that 43% of the participants in this 2nd US-Africa Frontiers Program Symposium, who are from African universities, are women.

In Gruber’s opinion, this proves that this “obviously demonstrates that we are making real progress”, but “there is still a long way to go.”

She also emphasized that mentorship is also very important in making sure that women are supported in these fields, so they can achieve what they like to do.

On the subject of cybersecurity, on which today’s scientific and technological development depends, the American official said that success in this field relies on openness, exchange of ideas, exchange of data that could advance the research.

This progress must not, however, be achieved without risking national security, intellectual property rights, privacy, or human rights, she insisted, noting the importance of securing networks for this purpose.

She also stressed the need to take advantage of cybersecurity best practices to better identify risks and improve the detection of threats.