In a context of rapid economic growth impacting its coastal zone, Morocco must organize a marine and coastal management plan as stipulated in the 2015 Moroccan Coastal Act. However, Morocco is facing one main challenge: to found highly qualified personnel at postgraduate level, with technical and transversal skills, fully able to implement this policy. In this purpose, this Erasmus + Capacity building Joint Project in the field of Higher Education intends to reduce the gap between current academic offers and the work market in the field of marine and coastal sciences. The ScolaMAR specific objective is to develop an Innovative training for Smart Coastal Management and Sustainable Blue Growth at the Master level.The ScolaMAR consortium, composed of four European and four Moroccan universities, will work together to reinforce Moroccan training capacities through exchange of good practices, focusing on 3 main approaches: technical, innovative pedagogical and integrative approaches. In order to maximise the project impact and sustainability, activities will specifically target teachers through two main activities: job-shadowing that implies staff mobility from Morocco to Europe and scientific events in Morocco. The ScolaMAR final objective is the development of an Innovative Master program based on the integration of a diversity of disciplines and approaches explored during this 36-months project, that are relevant to the field of Marine and Coastal Sciences. In addition, a SPOC, an e-learning module, on Coastal Risks will be developed to be integrated into the Master program . This regional Master program will help Morrocco to face great societal challenges of both increasing youth employability and ensuring coastal and marine sustainable development.

The main objective of this project is the creation in Rabat-Morocco University of a Master in Applied Plant Biotechnology in partnership with universities and centers/institutes from Europe and Morocco. It aims to improve the quality of higher education and relevance of this for the labor market and society at national and regional level. It also aims to improve the level of local expertise and teaching skills in this Master by developing new innovative education modules in plant biotechnology. The purpose of this project is to support modernization, accessibility and internationalization of education in the field of plant biotechnology in this country and internationally through the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies for education (TICEs) and the distance education development (MOOC). For this, the project aims to promote the professional development of staff and youth leaders in TICE methodologies. Finally, this project will contribute to maintaining and strengthening the cooperation between France, Spain and Italy through partners that are already involved in networks/research European programs in in the plant biotechnology field.

The extension of the responsibilities of universities recommended by the university reforms and the strategy ’Maroc Innovation’ in Morocco require the definition of a overarching tool combining the teaching of transversal competencies, research and innovation. The 3-year project INSITES coordinated by UH1 et having support from both the MESRSFC and MCINET will associate 17 partners from Morocco and EU member states. It aims at enhancing the university governance by institutionalizing the structures for innovation, knowledge transfer and valorisation of research. This should be approved by the CPU and the university councils. The results attended:- Assessment of the current situation of training methods for transversal competencies in Moroccan universities;- Summary of national strategies on innovation, valorisation and entrepreneurship;-Benchmarking of European experiences;- Competency references and guidelines for good management of the SITES;- Decisions of the Councils of Moroccan Universities on the approval of the setting up of the SITES and determining the chosen profiles based on the formerly approved references;- Training manual for specific transversal competencies in the Moroccan context in line with the European referencies;- Training sessions for training the trainers;- The SITES functions operationally at the Moroccan Universities;- Data base of trainers as resource persons for the generalization of experiences for all Moroccan universities;- National platform of the SITES serving as interface between institutional and economic actors;- Evaluation of the SITES;- A Communication and a Project QA Plan will be set up to ensure the quality, the dissemination and the sustainability of the project beyond its implementation period. A Charter of Good Conduct will be defined to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders and that the realization of activities of the project complies with the general rules and good project management principles.