MOROCCO – Moroccan fertilizer group OCP and ICL Specialty Fertilizer have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote sustainable development and the fight against climate change.
Under the agreement, the parties will offer funding to support sustainability programs and research at Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
The research, according to reports by Morocco Word, will be centred around food security, ecological restoration, smart agriculture, water, climate change, remote sensing, renewable energies, venture capital, among others.
The partnership also seeks to allow scientific and technical experts from UM6P and BGU to collaborate on sustainability initiatives and to build an agenda of different events, including seminars, symposia, and workshops.
The OCP group will provide an initial funding of US$300,000 to UM6P, while the ICL Group will provide a similar amount to BGU.
Chairman and CEO of OCP Mustapha Terrab expressed satisfaction with the agreement, emphasizing that the group is convinced that the “best way to support sustainability, and to move from research to impact, is to sponsor world-class research collaborations such as the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University and Ben Gurion University.
He emphasized that investing in projects with strategic partners such as the ICL Group is, “key to ensuring that the concrete, science-based solutions that emerge from this research program will go to scale, and help feed the world sustainably.”
ICL Group described the agreement as a “historic step forward” to boost sustainability research and support local universities.
Raviv Zoller, president and CEO of ICL said, “Joining forces – to share decades of experience and knowledge – is key to developing innovative research and development solutions to address the world’s sustainability challenges.”
UM6P and BGU also commented on the signing of the agreement, expressing satisfaction.
BGU president Daniel Chamovitz said, “BGU and UM6P have much in common. From their desert settings to their focus on applied research and innovative teaching methods, the two universities are well suited to collaborate on projects in sustainability and climate change.”
He added that both universities are committed to sustainability and green transition-driven projects in their research and that they, “both look outward – focused on helping our regions, countries and the world.”
For his part, President of UM6P, Hicham El Habti, emphasized that the partnership with BGU will “make major, actionable contributions to our research agenda.”
He concluded by saying, “There are many synergies between our two institutions and a shared vision that innovation at the forefront of science and technology is vital to the future of the planet.”
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