The OCP Group and Israel Chemicals (ICL Group) proceeded, on Tuesday in the city of Benguerir, to the signature of a memorandum of understanding for the promotion of applied research and academic excellence through the financing of programs centered around sustainability conducted jointly by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) intended for students, faculty and collaborators of the two respective universities.
This partnership, which provides an institutional framework for the two universities’ commitment to sustainability, is structured around multidisciplinary fields focused on the challenges of the contemporary world: food security, restaurant ecology, intelligent and sustainable agriculture, water, climate change, remote sensing, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, venture capital, the hospitality industry, etc.
This collaboration will allow experts and scientific researchers from both institutions to hold a series of scientific meetings (seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia, etc.) on these themes.
For the implementation of these ambitions, OCP Group and ICL will bring their financial support through a total envelope of 600,000 dollars. Thus, OCP will provide UM6P with 300,000 dollars, while ICL will pay 300,000 dollars to BGU to carry out this partnership.
“We believe that one of the best ways to support sustainability and move from research to impact is to collaborate around world-class scientific programs at institutions such as Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Ben-Gurion University,” said Mostafa Terrab, Chairman and CEO of OCP Group.
In this sense, Terrab stressed that “investment in research with strategic partners such as ICL Group is essential to ensure that concrete, science-based solutions contribute to feeding the world, in a sustainable way.
For his part, Raviv Zoller, president and CEO of ICL, noted that “positive developments in Israel’s foreign relations have opened up opportunities for us to build new relationships and create new collaborations,” noting that ICL “is delighted to take this historic step with OCP to advance sustainability research and support our local universities in their efforts to make a difference in their communities and beyond.
“Joining forces – to share decades of experience and knowledge – is essential to developing innovative research and development solutions to the world’s sustainability challenges,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Daniel Chamovitz, President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, noted that “BGU and UM6P have much in common. From their dryland setting to their focus on applied research and innovative teaching methods, the two universities are well positioned to collaborate on sustainable development and climate change projects.
In this sense, he emphasized the commitment of both universities to “thrive in a ‘green’ environment in the middle of the desert, and both are outward-looking in seeking to help our regions, our countries and the world.
“We are grateful to ICL and OCP for partnering with us in our vision to address the world’s greatest crisis by supporting scholarships for graduate students who will conduct research critical to the future of our world,” he said.
For his part, Hicham El Habti, president of UM6P, expressed his confidence that “the collaboration with Ben-Gurion University, one of Israel’s leading research universities and a world leader in sustainable development and many other areas of focus for UM6P, will make major and concrete contributions to our research program.
“There are many synergies between our two institutions and a shared vision that places innovation, applied research, and technology transfer at the service of developing tomorrow’s scientific and technological skills and advances, both key to the future of the planet,” he explained.
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