The Role of Public Policy in the Development of Innovation Ecosystems in Morocco

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of public policies in the development of innovation ecosystems in Morocco from an interdisciplinary perspective that combines law, the economics of innovation, and management sciences. In contrast to previous studies, which focus primarily on the components of the National Innovation System (NIS) and public policies considered in isolation, this study offers an integrated analysis of their interactions, providing an in-depth overview of the institutional mechanisms that organize innovation ecosystems in Morocco. It analyzes Morocco’s progress in developing its National Innovation System across three key dimensions: structure, coordination, and governance. This approach employs a rigorous documentary methodology based on the analysis of institutional reports, strategic documents, and Moroccan legislative frameworks. The collected data are examined using Bardin’s (2013) content analysis method, incorporating the National Innovation System (NIS) as the analytical framework of reference. The findings indicate that Morocco has gradually consolidated its innovation support framework through the implementation of various national initiatives, including Framework Law No. 51-17 on the education, training, and scientific research system, the Morocco Innovation Strategy (2009), the Innov Invest Fund (2017), the ESRI 2030 Pact (2023), and the Morocco Digital 2030 Strategy (2024), illustrating an innovative structuring of the National Innovation System. However, this momentum remains limited by institutional fragmentation, territorial heterogeneity, inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and the low density of effective interfaces between universities, businesses, and government agencies. The article argues that the performance of innovation ecosystems depends less on the proliferation of programs than on their normative coherence, their cross-sectoral coordination, and their ability to generate stable incentives for cooperation. It concludes with legal and institutional recommendations aimed at strengthening strategic convergence, territorial governance, the commercialization of research, and the evaluation of innovation policies.

JEL Classification: O31, O38, H11.

Article Type: Applied Research.