Q&A: Flemish researchers exchange expertise with Moroccan colleagues

On what kinds of research will the institutions be collaborating?
The region of Meknes in northern central Morocco is mostly agricultural, so crops and food are important topics. Others are water management, governance, health, environmental protection, spatial development and use of medicinal plants.

The different projects were defined in collaboration with the local community in order to address real needs. Experts from Flanders will, for example, help improve the evaluation of water quality.

Will Flemish universities also create new education programmes there?
Yes, Flemish professors will contribute to the development of new master’s degrees at the Moroccan university and also give lectures. It will also be important to improve the quality of local research by advising PhD students. We will furthermore help set up new infrastructure, such as a central laboratory.

How will Flemish universities benefit from the collaboration?
New tools created to test water quality there can be of great use here as well. We also plan to send Flemish students in biomedicine to Morocco, where local experts will teach them about medicinal plants. A researcher from the University of Leuven will also travel there to take samples of pesticides that have already been banned here to further his research.

Is there an economic component to the programme?
We hope the contacts between the regions can be valuable to both Flemish and Moroccan businesses. The valorisation of research activities is another important way of giving back to society.

Is this the first Interuniversity Collaboration programme that Hasselt University is co-ordinating?
No, we have already been collaborating with a Congolese university in the city of Kisangani for six years. Although the conditions are very different there, our experience in Congo can help us improve governance and management at the Université Moulay Ismaïl. 

Photo: Moroccan and Flemish researchers involved in the new interuniversity collaboration
© UHasselt