Cadi Ayyad University (UCA) was founded in 1978. It consists of 14 Faculties and Schools that cover all the scientific, technical, economic, legal, medical, and social sciences. UCA is present in 4 cities: Marrakech, Safi, Essaouira and Kelaa Sraghna.
The University has about 63,000 students, 1400 teachers and researchers, administrative 850 and more than 600 foreign students from 50 nationalities. UCA maintains over 400 partnership relations with foreign universities and participates in many international cooperation programs in the context of European and international funding.
Scientific research plays an important role in the activities of Cadi Ayyad University. Its production is the most prolific and most diverse nationally. Indeed, the UCA currently has 3 centres Doctoral Studies, 64 accredited research laboratories, 82 research teams accredited, 5 research centres (National Centre for Studies and Research on Water and Energy, National Centre for research Studies on Sahara, Mathematics Centre, Centre for Analysis and characterization, Museum of Natural History) in a Mixed unit international on complex systems and an University Astronomical Observatory Oukaimeden.
Concerning the valorisation of scientific research results, UCA has a Business Incubator and plans to create an Innovation City, which will house start- up and platforms for research and development. Saw its longstanding partnerships with its socio-economic environment and its predisposition to develop an ecosystem conducive to swarming culture of innovation, Cadi Ayyad University has been selected as one of the four universities that will host the first cities of innovation in Morocco. This project has the support of our ministry and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and New Technologies.
The project of the city of Innovation in Marrakech started in 2009 but was completely reviewed in 2011 by a commission of high level of our university professors. The latter has enriched the project and resized to meet local, regional and national challenges facing the UCA account. The project as it was passed, now has to give more visibility to the R & D expertise in hosting the research centres that federate several laboratories while highlighting their main results. The City will also host platforms involving heavy equipment of interest to industry through services.