The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) inaugurated its new United States Global Hub on Monday evening in New York, with locations in New York and Cambridge (Massachusetts). The hub is designed to connect African research talent and innovation ecosystems with international academic, entrepreneurial, and industrial partners. The initiative aims to embed Africa's sustainable development ambitions within global networks of knowledge, capital, and technology. It will both strengthen existing collaborations and create new ones with leading American universities and institutions, while opening opportunities for joint research projects and academic exchanges. Speaking at the launch, UM6P President Hicham El Habti emphasized that the hub reflects a firm commitment to meaningful collaboration between Africa and global knowledge and innovation ecosystems. «The goal of this new hub», he explained, «is to directly address Morocco's and Africa's urgent development challenges by combining rigorous scientific research with practical, scalable solutions, enabling the Kingdom to build pathways toward technological sovereignty». El Habti described the hub as a two-way bridge: offering African startups and entrepreneurs access to venture capital, technology networks, and industrial expertise in North America, while also facilitating the adaptation and deployment of American innovations in African contexts. He highlighted ongoing partnerships with leading US universities, including MIT, Arizona State University, Stanford University, and Columbia Business School. This cooperation spans a wide range of research areas, from climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and green mining to artificial intelligence and green hydrogen. The hub, he noted, will also provide a platform where African researchers can co-develop projects with American counterparts without losing connection to their domestic ecosystems. «The ultimate goal», he concluded, «is to build a university system rooted in Africa, globally connected, and capable of tackling global challenges through the lens of African realities and opportunities». Mehdi El Khatib, Managing Director of the US Global Hub, said UM6P's presence in the United States illustrates its commitment to «building bridges so that African students, researchers, and entrepreneurs can both benefit from and contribute to the global knowledge economy». He added that the hub will design joint research projects on topics essential to Africa's sustainable development and provide a platform to connect African startups with the American entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. El Khatib also announced plans to create two immersion programs, one in Africa and one in the US, focused on business and innovation training for future leaders. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Morocco's Ambassador to Washington Youssef Amrani, the Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the UN Omar Hilale, as well as prominent American academics, business leaders, and members of the Moroccan diaspora in the United States.
