Morocco's Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech (UCA) and South Korea's Hoseo University have launched the "ATLAS Innovation Hub," a new platform aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in research, innovation and technology development.
The initiative, officially unveiled during a ceremony held on Tuesday in the South Korean city of Asan, seeks to establish a structured framework for collaboration between universities, research centers, institutional partners and industrial ecosystems in both countries.
The launch event was attended by Morocco's Ambassador to South Korea, Chafik Rachadi, and Cadi Ayyad University President Blaïd Bougadir, who led a delegation of senior university officials. Representatives from Hoseo University, local authorities and researchers also took part in the ceremony.
Led by Marouane Baslam, a visiting professor at Cadi Ayyad University, the ATLAS Innovation Hub aims to promote joint research and development projects, facilitate the mobility of students and researchers, support the incubation of technology startups, encourage the transfer of industrial know-how and attract direct investment opportunities to Morocco.
The platform will focus on several strategic sectors, including intelligent systems and agricultural technologies, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, the Internet of Things and precision agriculture.
Another key area of cooperation will be biohealth, including medical devices, digital health and cosmetics, through the development of Moroccan natural resources combined with South Korea's advanced expertise in cosmetic technologies.
On the sidelines of the launch, the two universities signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at implementing initial joint projects in applied research, training, innovation and technology transfer starting in the second half of 2026.
According to the roadmap presented during the ceremony, the ATLAS Innovation Hub plans to launch joint research programmes, progressively establish technological platforms on the Cadi Ayyad University campus and ultimately create a joint scientific and industrial cooperation center in Marrakech.
The Moroccan delegation also included UCA Vice-President Mohamed Hafidi, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences Lhassan El Mouden, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy Mohamed Amine, and Head of the Biotechnology Department Abdelilah Meddich.
