Water research in the digital age

The European Research Area (ERA) was established to promote research excellence and multinational collaborations between EU and non-EU countries. This initiative will help countries such as Morocco improve the quality and quantity of their research.

Funded by the EU, the 'Morocco research advance in ICT for water' (MOICT) project aimed to boost information and communication technology (ICT) for water research at the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (USMBA). Specifically, the project set out to improve innovation and research capacity at USMBA to integrate Morocco into the ERA, improve communication and support young researchers.

The project was launched with a series of workshops that provided relevant information and guidelines to all participants. These led to discussions between government, academia and industry around ICT for water and an initial plan for capacity building in the area. From this initial project work, the Project Implementation Manual was created to guide participants for the rest of the project.

MOICT also provided training for research managers and young researchers in entrepreneurship, funding and research transfer in the ERA. In addition, researchers were exposed to opportunities and the procedures of the ERA system, and they have developed a strategy for collaboration.

Finally, the project completed a review of Morocco's water facilities and the technical needs in the sector. This informed several training sessions for young researchers at USMBA.

MOICT has enhanced Morocco's capacity for high-quality research in the field of ICT for water. This will aid Morocco in the long term by expanding capacity for research and improving the skills of junior researchers in particular.