University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) formalised the Consortium Agreement for the Africa Center of Manufacturing Excellence (ACME) on the sidelines of the Marrakech Airshow 2026. The consortium brings together Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the National Defense Administration, Boeing, OCP Group, Lockheed Martin, CETIM, Safran Nacelles and Airbus. The participation of Moroccan institutions and organisations, alongside leading international aerospace and industrial players, provides a strong institutional and industrial foundation for ACME and supports its role in consolidating and strengthening advanced manufacturing capabilities in Morocco, with the ambition of contributing to the development and dissemination of these capabilities across Africa.
Hosted by UM6P at its Nouaceur site, ACME will serve as a shared hub where consortium members can collaborate to develop, test and support the industrialisation of manufacturing technologies toward industrial application. The centre will provide common equipment, coordinated research programmes and training through the ACME Academy to help translate research into industrial applications, strengthen supply chains and invest in Moroccan talent.
The consortium will focus on areas that increasingly shape the competitiveness and technological depth of manufacturing ecosystems: advanced materials, additive manufacturing, machining, composite processing, industrial automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, metrology and non-destructive testing. ACME will operate through a project-based approach, with R&D projects conducted collectively by consortium members or developed in response to more specific industrial requirements. This approach will enable members to define, develop and validate technologies and solutions in line with identified needs, while leveraging shared research and technical capabilities. The R&D projects may also contribute to the generation of new knowledge and intellectual property, while creating value for consortium members and strengthening the broader industrial and technological ecosystem.
To support this model, the agreement sets out the governance, funding and intellectual property arrangements required to support cooperation between institutions with different mandates, while preserving a shared direction for ACME’s research and industrial activities. It also provides for a tiered membership model, allowing additional organisations to join the consortium – subject to the governance provisions set out in the agreement – and contribute new industrial or scientific capabilities.
