Scientific research in Morocco: challenges, perspectives, and soft skills at the heart of development

Abstract

Scientific research is a fundamental pillar of socio-economic and technological development in Morocco. However, the literature on the national research system mainly focuses on institutional, financial, and organizational aspects, while the contribution of soft skills to scientific performance is less clear in the documents. This study aims to address this information gap and reveal the role of transversal skills in the development of scientific research. Based on approaches from human capital, the Triple Helix, and competencies, this work takes a qualitative approach grounded in a documentary analysis of four official Moroccan documents: The CNRST Sectoral Report 2022, The Succeeding School for All Report 2008, The ESRI Pact 2030 2023, and The New Development Model 2021. A grid containing 8 criteria and forty-two indicators provided an evaluation of the relevance, quality, effectiveness, and implementation of the selected sources. The results highlight a strong focus on soft skills, namely communication, collaboration, critical thinking, autonomy, and adaptability, depending on the different levels and formats present in the documents. They also point out that interpersonal skills are increasingly seen as part of human capital development and the adaptation of the research system. This work shows that coordinating institutional reforms is necessary in the training and assessment of soft skills to boost performance, innovation, and employability in the scientific research system.

JEL classification: I23, I25, J24, O32

Paper Type: Empirical research.