Institut Scientifique/Université Mohammed-V de Rabat

What Institut Scientifique/Université Mohammed-V de Rabat does

The Institut Scientifique de Rabat is Morocco's oldest university research establishment, founded on January 24, 1920 as the Institut Scientifique Chérifien and operating today as a public research institute within Université Mohammed V de Rabat under the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. Its mandate, codified by decree across Bulletins Officiels of 1920, 1921, 1933, 1975, and 2004, is to conduct fundamental research in the natural sciences and to systematically inventory Morocco's natural resources (fauna, flora, and subsurface geology). The institute is organized into departments covering Botany and Plant Ecology, Zoology and Animal Ecology, and Earth Sciences (with laboratories GEOTEL, Physique du Globe, and OSST), and it maintains the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle collections.

Its core products and infrastructure consist of open-access peer-reviewed academic publications and digital knowledge platforms. The flagship outputs are the Bulletin de l'Institut Scientifique (split in 2001 into Section Sciences de la Terre and Section Sciences de la Vie), the Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique monograph series (four specialized series), and the Documents de l'Institut Scientifique technical reports. Alongside these, the institute operates the Lithothèque du Maroc geological heritage portal, the Flore du Maroc flora database, the digital library (Bibliothèque Numérique), and the museum collections digital archive. All publications are distributed under an open-access model with no submission or processing fees, and they are indexed in Scopus, WorldCat, DOAJ, GeoRef, Google Scholar, SCImago Journal & Country Rank, and CiteFactor.

The institute has no commercial revenue model. It is funded through Moroccan state budget allocations and operates as a public-good research body serving the academic and scientific research community in Morocco, the broader Mediterranean region, and the international research community via its indexed publication channels. Its go-to-market is academic in nature — peer-reviewed publications, scientific conferences, doctoral workshops, and academic partnerships with bodies such as IUCN, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the Association Marocaine des Géosciences, and the Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Headcount is reported at 20, and there are no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or pricing structures.

Name

Institut Scientifique/Université Mohammed-V de Rabat

Legal name

Institut Scientifique de Rabat

Website

https://israbat.ac.ma

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institut Scientifique de Rabat is Morocco's oldest university research institute (founded 1920), operating within Université Mohammed V de Rabat. It conducts fundamental research in natural sciences (Earth Sciences and Life Sciences) and publishes open-access peer-reviewed journals, monographs, and digital databases serving the global academic and scientific research community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research and Academic Publishing

NAICS

Museums (712110), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Scientific research services
• Natural sciences research
• Academic journal publishing
• Natural history collections
• Earth life sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Rabat

HQ country

Morocco

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Institut Scientifique de Rabat conducts fundamental research in natural sciences (Earth Sciences and Life Sciences) and disseminates findings through peer-reviewed academic journals, monographs, and digital resource portals. It maintains national museum collections of Morocco's fauna, flora, and subsurface resources, operates specialized laboratories and observatories, and provides a scientific library and open-access publications free of charge worldwide. The institute's mission, set by decree, covers systematic inventory of natural resources and natural heritage conservation.

Product overview

Institut Scientifique de Rabat is Morocco's oldest university research establishment (founded 1920), operating as part of Université Mohammed V de Rabat. The institute conducts fundamental research in natural sciences, particularly Earth Sciences (geology, geophysics, geomorphology, cartography, remote sensing) and Life Sciences (zoology, animal ecology, botany, plant ecology). Its product portfolio consists of peer-reviewed academic publications including the 'Bulletin de l'Institut Scientifique' (annual journal in Earth Sciences and Life Sciences sections), 'Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique' (monographs, dissertations, conference proceedings across four specialized series), and 'Documents de l'Institut Scientifique' (technical reports). The institute also maintains digital resource portals including the Lithothèque du Maroc (geological heritage portal), Flore du Maroc database, and digital library with online journals and archives. All publications operate under an Open Access policy with no submission or processing fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulletin de l'Institut Scientifique — Section Sciences de la Terre (Earth Sciences) Peer-reviewed annual scientific journal publishing original articles and brief notes in Earth Sciences (geology, geophysics, geomorphology, cartography, applied remote sensing, hydrogeology, paleontology, environmental studies), distributed worldwide under open access with no submission or processing fees.
• Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique Academic publication series of monographs, dissertations, conference proceedings, and maps covering four specialized series (Geology and Physical Geography, Zoology, Botany, and General Sciences), published irregularly with worldwide distribution.
• Documents de l'Institut Scientifique Technical reports and work documents published irregularly with limited distribution, covering scientific productions related to nature in Morocco and the Mediterranean region.
• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Collections National natural history museum collections maintained by the institute, comprising flora, fauna, and geological specimens of Morocco, accessible through digital archives.
• Lithothèque du Maroc Portal Online portal dedicated to Morocco's geological heritage (lithotheque), providing digital access to geological collections and geosite inventories.
• Flore du Maroc Database Comprehensive database documenting Morocco's flora, maintained as part of the institute's natural heritage documentation mission.
• Bibliothèque Numérique (Digital Library) Digital library providing online access to journals, series, and archived scientific resources.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Academia Colombiana de Ciencias exactas, Fisicas et NaturalesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2015International academic exchange visit by president Enrique Forero Gonzalez to strengthen scientific cooperation between institutions.
• Association TamkeenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 15 June 2015Organized coaching workshop for doctoral students focusing on motivation, organization, methodology, orientation, confidence, and autonomy.
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2015Co-organized conferences on petroleum geoscience topics with the AAPG, including conferences on finding and exploiting resources in the Rharb basin, Northern Morocco.
• Association Marocaine des GéosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2015Ongoing partnership for organizing geoscience conferences and events. The association's president (Prof. Fida Medina) collaborates with the institute on academic activities.
• Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2015Partnership for the project 'Conserver la flore et les habitats avec les communautés locales dans le Sud et l'Est du Bassin méditerranéen'. Organized workshop on Important Plant Areas in the Mediterranean.
• Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts et à la Lutte Contre la DésertificationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2015Governmental partner in biodiversity conservation projects, including the Important Plant Areas Mediterranean project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): IUCN is an existing core partner of ISR for Mediterranean flora and habitat conservation projects. While not a direct competitor, IUCN functions as a comparable ecosystem participant focused on natural heritage conservation, biodiversity knowledge, and scientific collaboration across North Africa.

Direct peers

• Natural History Museum, London: The UK's Natural History Museum combines fundamental research in life and earth sciences with one of the world's largest natural history collections, peer-reviewed scientific publications (e.g., Zoological Journal, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology), and public museum programs — directly comparable to ISR's integrated research, collections, and publishing mandate.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN): The French national museum of natural history in Paris is a closely comparable institution: it combines natural sciences research across zoology, botany, and earth sciences with national museum collections, peer-reviewed publications (e.g., Comptes Rendus, Adansonia), library/archival services, and university-affiliated research units — a structurally analogous mandate to ISR.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Vienna's Natural History Museum is a research-and-collections institution combining earth and life sciences departments, extensive zoological and geological collections, and a publication program (Annalen, scientific series), making it a strong structural peer for ISR's research-plus-museum-plus-publishing model.
• Finnish Museum of Natural History (Luomus): Luomus operates as a university-affiliated natural history museum and research institution under the University of Helsinki, combining botanical, zoological, and geological collections with research and biodiversity informatics — a strong structural peer to ISR as a smaller-scale national natural history research institute.
• Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC): Spain's national natural sciences museum, part of CSIC, conducts fundamental research in biodiversity, ecology, geology, and paleobiology while maintaining collections and publishing peer-reviewed scientific output — comparable in scale and integrated mandate to ISR.
• Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (CNRST) Maroc: Morocco's national scientific and technical research center coordinates and funds research across Morocco's public institutions, including earth and life sciences. As the umbrella body for Moroccan national research, it is the closest domestic institutional peer to ISR.
• Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência (Lisbon): Portugal's national museum of natural history and science, linked to the University of Lisbon, integrates natural sciences collections, research departments in zoology and geology, and university-press-style academic publishing — a closely comparable integrated model to ISR's mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: The Smithsonian NMNH is the world's largest natural history museum and research complex, covering identical scientific domains (biology, geology, paleontology, anthropology) with extensive collections and scholarly publishing. Comparable in mandate but vastly larger in scale and resources than ISR.

Regional players

• Institut National de Recherche Halieutique (INRH) Maroc: Morocco's national fisheries research institute is a public research establishment under the same ministry as ISR, conducting applied marine biology and oceanography research with publications and museum-adjacent specimen collections — comparable in institutional structure and Moroccan public-research context.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-scientifique-universit%C3%A9-mohammed-v-de-rabat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institut Scientifique/Université Mohammed-V de Rabat