To optimize the connection between companies and the University in the field of software R & D, the Soft Centre (R & D Centre specializing in software development) was established in 2010 to allow IT operators to produce innovative, cost-effective software.

To do this, its mission is to promote and develop in Morocco (in its role of interface between the University and the company) a research and development activity in the field of market-oriented software, by providing a range of services to support innovation, in terms of support, technological infrastructure and services, to Moroccan and international actors.

Studies on the opportunities offered by the IT sector have highlighted the development of clusters in regions with a high concentration of technology expertise and hosting of high-tech companies, laboratories installed around funded research, a factor that has contributed to the economic development of countries such as India, Malaysia and Ireland.

In addition, in an area subject to continuous technological development, innovation opportunities are permanent, ensuring real opportunities to position Morocco as an actor in this field. On this subject, the dynamics of R & D in Morocco begins to show a good momentum in the Maghreb region, allowing it to bring, so far, an amount of investment of almost 1% of the GDP.

The study on the establishment of a Moroccan national ICT plan led by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and New Technologies in 2008, confirmed the interest of the Moroccan Government for the implementation of the Soft Centre to stimulate the creation of software development projects.

As part of this ecosystem, the Business Model of the Soft Centre is based on four areas:

• Applied research and software development, namely the creation of research projects and "on demand" software development;
• Prospective research including the implementation of academic research projects on long-term issues, and the enhancement of research with industrial IT sector for opportunities to patents;
• The shared service centre, through the provision of pooled resources (shared infrastructure, common interest data, technological expertise, networking) to operators in the IT sector in order to promote the development of the SME fabric in specific software sectors;
• The self-funded research to develop expertise on priority themes: mobility, electronic banking, software and multimedia.

In this framework, the round table of the Board of the Soft Centre consists of the following key stakeholders:

• The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and New Technologies;
• The Ministry of Economy and Finance;
• The Ministry of Higher Education;
• The National Agency for Regulation of Telecommunications;
• The Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion;
• The National Centre for Scientific and Technological Research;
• The Federation of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Offshoring.

On the web

To follow of the Soft Centre activities, simply log on one of our many social networks pages and profiles:

• LinkedIn ;
• Facebook ;
• Twitter ;
• Viadéo;
• Soft Centre TV on Youtube.

• About the Soft Centre

The value chain is based on the implementation of the following processes:

• Identifying and assembling R & D projects in the field of software development;
• Syndication of skills (in terms of applied research) in Moroccan universities and engineering schools (researchers, doctoral students, graduate students, engineering students in addition to the additional permanent resources of the Soft Centre consist of project managers and expert engineers);
• Accommodation of research teams achieved through the provision of the required technological infrastructure;
• Pilot projects in R & D software at the service of applicants.