During the course of a three-day visit to Morocco last week, the joint delegation from the Ministry for Morocco Relations and the University of Gibraltar team, supported by Mohamed Imrani of the Gibraltar-Morocco Business Association, visited university facilities in Tangier, Tetouan and Larache. 

In Tangier, these included the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacology laboratories and Simulation Suites, the University Hospital, the Digital Studies hub, the Faculty of Science and Techniques, and the National School of Applied Sciences. In Tétouan the delegation visited the Faculty of Science, the Higher School of Technology, and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, before moving on to the Polydisciplinary Faculty in Larache.

In all of these they held discussions with the staff on possible avenues of cooperation, as well as talking to students.  At the Faculty of Science in Tétouan Minister Cortes re-made contacts with departmental staff with whom he had organised a conference on the biodiversity of the region during his time as General Secretary on GONHS, in 2007.

These contacts will be followed up by the teams from both universities with a view to future collaboration in a number of disciplines. 

There was also a visit to the Donabo Botanic Gardens in Tangier with a view also to developing contact and exchanges between the Tangier garden and the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens at the Alameda.

The Minister with responsibility for Developing Relations with Morocco, Prof John Cortes, said: “I am glad that our work in Morocco is bearing fruit.  Collaboration in the academic field is important, but is only one of several initiatives intended to increase contact between our countries and communities at all levels”.

The Minister for the University, Pat Orfila, said: “I have been more than impressed with the University facilities of Tangier and Tetouan and we are now looking to explore how best we can work together for the betterment of our young people and both countries. We look forward to extending a reciprocal invitation in the very near future.”