BGU&U | SPRING 2022

Building Bridges Across Deserts

When Israel and Morocco announced the formalization of ties in December 2020, BGU recognized a historic opportunity to promote academic and technological cooperation for the benefit of the entire region. And indeed, just eight months later, it signed its first agreement for collaborative research with a Moroccan university. Supported by the Israeli multinational chemical manufacturing company ICL and the Moroccan state-owned phosphate rock miner OCP, the agreement with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) near Marrakech covers numerous fields related to sustainability and climate change, including ecological restoration, water, and energy. Noting that BGU and UM6P have much in common, from “their desert settings to their focus on applied research,” BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz stated that “both universities are committed to thriving in their own environments, and to looking outward – helping our countries, regions, and the world.” Mohammed VI Polytechnic University President Hicham El Habti said: “We are confident that linking science and technology institutions from both countries will have a major impact on people at a local and regional level.” Just one month later, BGU signed another memorandum of understanding, this time with the International University of Rabat, intended to foster joint study, teaching,

ICL, OCP, BGU and UM6P sign a historic collaboration agreement in October. Photo: Lina Elmouaaouy

and student and staff exchange in the natural, social, and health sciences, as well as the humanities. Titled “People of the MENA Region” – MENA for “Middle East and North Africa” – the agreement was kicked off with a joint workshop on water, agriculture, and sustainability issues from both technological and biological perspectives. The two universities also plan to collaborate on research on the cultural heritage of Moroccan Jews, as well as the shared history and destiny of Muslims and Jews in the Middle East.

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