The Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and the Italian Ministry of University and Research signed, on Friday in Rabat, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of higher education.
Initialed by Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui, and Italian Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, the MoU aims to strengthen Morocco-Italian relations in the fields of higher education, scientific research, and innovation.
“The signing of this memorandum of understanding between our two nations marks an important step in strengthening our relations of friendship and cooperation, areas to which Italy attaches great importance,” explained Bernini.
She added that this agreement aims to promote greater collaboration in higher education, scientific research, and innovation, as well as exchanges between Morocco and Italy’s students, researchers, PhD students, and professors The MoU allows for a rich and diverse sharing of knowledge, skills, and expertise.
The Italian minister also emphasized the value of art and artistic expression in higher education, highlighting the subjects as critical to students’ cultural and intellectual growth.
Miraoui underscored that this event demonstrates the strength of the relationships that link Morocco and Italy in a vital subject such as higher education.
“International cooperation in higher education is of paramount importance, because it focuses on the development of human capital,” he declared, noting the critical role of student and teacher-researcher mobility in “building a better world.”
Miraoui added that approximately 600 Moroccan students are currently registered in Italy, citing different inter-university agreements between the two countries, particularly at the 1st Academic and Scientific Forum between Moroccan and Italian institutions, which took place on April 30 in Rome.
He also mentioned efforts like the PRIMA project and the Erasmus+ program, which demonstrate the scope of this collaboration, emphasizing that bright opportunities are on the horizon, particularly in terms of PhD student mobility.