Published on: 2026-06-30
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University hosted a delegation from Hassan II University (Casablanca, Morocco) led by Vice President for Research and Cooperation, Professor Mustafa Lhidir. It is the only Moroccan university included in the prestigious Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The visit marked an important stage in the development of the partnership between the universities within the framework of the consortium “Russian-African Network University” (RAFU), coordinated by SPbPU.
The Moroccan delegation included leading representatives of the university: Dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences, Professor Fatima Zahra Alami; Deputy Dean for Internationalization, Professor Adam Chati; Head of the Department of Public Law, Professor Abdelfettah El Fatin; as well as directors of key engineering schools — the National Graduate School of Electrical Engineering and Mechanics, the National Graduate School of Arts and Crafts, and the Graduate School of Technology of Casablanca.
The visit program began with a tour of the Main Academic Building and a visit to the Fundamental Library of SPbPU. The partners agreed on mutual access to the electronic library resources of both universities. Then the guests familiarized themselves with the university’s scientific and educational infrastructure: the Center for Open Education, where they discussed joint work in VR, and the Higher School of Technological Entrepreneurship in the Technopolis-Politekh research building. They also held negotiations with the directors of the higher schools of the Institute of Energy.
Opening the negotiations with the delegation of Hassan II University, Dmitry Arseniev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at SPbPU, emphasized that the partnership between the two universities is developing most intensively among all the university’s African contacts: Compared to other African universities, I believe we have the most intensive joint work.
He recalled that the first visits to Casablanca took place back in 2024. An important milestone was the joint conference on sustainable development, where professors from Hassan II University, according to the vice-rector, presented very good reports, and the universities outlined plans for cooperation. During the current visit, Dmitry Arsenyev made three proposals: to send two lecturers from the Institute of Energy to give lectures and develop scientific contacts, to invite young Moroccan scientists to a week-long program on “Technological Entrepreneurship,” and also to develop joint master’s programs, including double degrees.
Moroccan partners proposed an exchange of teachers and invited a graduate student from the Higher School of Technological Entrepreneurship at SPbPU to participate in their 2026 summer school.
We have invested significant funds in creating five technical platforms—in biotechnology, materials science, engineering, and other areas. These platforms are available to our partners. We are open to expanding cooperation with the Polytechnic University and see great opportunities for the development of our universities and countries in this, — concluded Professor Mustafa Lhider at the meeting.
The outcome of the meeting was an agreement to continue dialogue on additional areas (economics, IT, biotechnology, architecture) in the format of online meetings, which, according to Vice-Rector Dmitry Arsenyev, will mark the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration.
Recall that Hassan II University joined the RAFU consortium in December 2024. In April 2026, a delegation from SPbPU and other Russian RAFU universities visited Morocco to participate in the International Student Forum in Casablanca and to hold RAFU Days at Hassan II University. The current visit is a reciprocal step, confirming the mutual interest of the parties in long-term and fruitful cooperation.
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