The ScolaMAR project

The ScolaMAR project-Innovative training for Smart coastal management and Sustainable blue growth-, funded by the European Commission, is an Erasmus + project, Key Action n ° 2, Capacity building in the field of Higher Education.

The new Erasmus + program aims to support actions in the fields of education, training, youth and sport.

Capacity-building projects in the field of higher education support the modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of higher education in Partner Countries. These projects build on the success of the Alfa, Edu-link and Tempus programmes.

The 36-month ScolaMAR project, with a budget of € 664,122, aims to strengthen Morocco's capacity to face the societal challenges of coastal zone management.

Context:
The ScolaMAR project aims to support the socio-economic dynamics experienced by Morocco in general and the Tangier - Tetouan - Al Hoceima region in particular. Indeed, with its 3500 km of coastline (Atlantic and Mediterranean facades), the Kingdom of Morocco sets itself a position of Leader in Africa and in the Mediterranean area in terms of integrated coastal management and its large maritime and port infrastructures. This integrated management takes into account all the sectors that generate wealth and create employment, namely the fishing sectors, tourism, land use planning, climate change, transport and maritime logistics, etc.

General objectives:
The ultimate ambition of the project is to train graduates to meet the growing needs of Executives and Managers capable of handling and promoting training and research in the fields of science, economics and maritime law. The need for skills in this field is continuing to grow, notably with the implementation of the Tangiers-Med port (associated partner to the project) and the future port platforms being set up: Nador, Kénitra, Casablanca, Agadir and Dakhla. It also aims to provide decision-makers with the skills to design methodologies and propose solutions that can help mitigate and adapt to climate change in the Mediterranean and in Africa. This vision was endorsed by the international scientific community during the Ocean Day held recently at COP22 in Marrakech.

Specific objectives:
To achieve its objectives, the ScolaMAR project focuses on two main actions: training of trainers through technical, pedagogical and integrative approaches and "Job-shadowing" mobility of Moroccan staff in the European universities of the consortium and the implementation of an innovative Master program integrating the diversity of disciplines related to the marine sciences and coastal management. This regional Master's program will allow the Moroccan partner-universities to face societal challenges by improving the employability of young adults.

The strength of the ScolaMAR project lies in its multidisciplinarity with the introduction of new approaches applied to the learning and dissemination of knowledge in the field of exact sciences, legal, economic and social sciences of the Sea.