PNARDI / IBN BATTOUTA — Jeunes Chercheurs
Funds emerging Moroccan researchers in early-career development tracks with practical mentorship.
IBN BATTOUTA is the early-career researcher track of PNARDI, Morocco's Programme National d'Appui à la Recherche-Développement et à l'Innovation. PNARDI is a multi-partner national program co-financed by MESRSI (Morocco's Ministry of Higher Education), Fondation OCP (the philanthropic arm of Morocco's Office Chérifien des Phosphates), CNRST, and UM6P (Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique). All three 2025 PNARDI sub-programs — IBN BATTOUTA, IBN ALBANNA, and NEFZAOUIA — were launched simultaneously on 3 June 2025, with applications submitted exclusively through the Masharie digital platform at masharie.cnrst.ma. PNARDI is framed within the context of Morocco's Royal Strategic Orientations placing scientific research and innovation at the center of national development.
IBN BATTOUTA specifically targets jeunes chercheurs — early-career researchers affiliated with Moroccan academic and research institutions. An information webinar was held on 25 June 2025 to guide prospective applicants. The submission deadline for the 2025 edition was extended after the initial launch (per CNRST item 850 update), though the specific extended date was not captured at intake. Award amounts and full eligibility conditions are published in the official call documents on Masharie and were not extracted at intake. Eligible institutions are Moroccan public universities and recognized research organizations; for-profit companies and individuals are not eligible.
The 2025 edition has closed and the program is currently between cycles. A 2026 edition of IBN BATTOUTA had not yet been launched as of late May 2026. Researchers at Moroccan academic institutions who identify as early-career should monitor the Masharie platform and CNRST announcements for the 2026 call. The multi-funder structure — MESRSI, OCP Foundation, CNRST, and UM6P — signals sustained political and industrial commitment to supporting the next generation of Moroccan researchers.
Early-career researcher grants under Morocco's PNARDI national R&D and innovation program, co-funded by MESRSI, Fondation OCP, CNRST, and UM6P, submitted through the Masharie platform.
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