Strengthening the Methodological Skills of Moroccan Youth Researchers
Date: July 7–8, 2025
Time: 15:30 – 18:30 (each day)
Location: the Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR), Rabat
Languages: French and Moroccan Arabic (Darija) with occasional English support
Joint organization by: the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA), the Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR), and Pablo de Olavide University.
No funding opportunities are available for accommodation and transportation
Overview
The Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA), the Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR) and Pablo de Olavide University are pleased to invite applications for a two-day workshop on Applied Qualitative Research, designed to build the capacity of individuals and organizations engaged in field-based social inquiry and evidence-based work in Morocco.
The workshop will bring together up to 15 participants from diverse professional backgrounds, including researchers, civil society actors, journalists, and civil servants, who are either conducting or preparing to launch qualitative research projects. Over two interactive afternoons, participants will be introduced to essential tools and frameworks that span the full research process, from question formulation to data analysis.
Objectives
This workshop will:
- Strengthen applied methodological skills for qualitative research, with direct relevance to policy and public interest work
- Introduce effective techniques for interviews, field observation, and ethical research conduct
- Guide participants through research design, sampling, and qualitative data analysis
- Foster interdisciplinary dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and public actors
- Promote the integration of grounded field insights into institutional knowledge production
Workshop Format
The two-day program (July 7–8) consists of afternoon sessions (15:30–18:30) that blend:
- Short expert-led presentations on core methods and research stages
- Interactive exercises based on real cases provided by participants
- Group reflection and peer-learning discussions
- A mid-session coffee break will be provided each day.
Eligibility Criteria
This call is open to:
- Early-career and mid-level researchers working on policy-relevant topics
- Civil society professionals involved in program design, advocacy, or monitoring and evaluation
- Journalists conducting investigative or field reporting
- Public servants or local administrators engaged in evidence-based planning or social programs
- Applicants should be currently involved in or preparing to conduct qualitative research, such as interviews, life histories, focus groups, or field observations. Applicants from diverse regions of Morocco and working on a wide range of topics (governance, youth, gender, environment, migration, local development, etc.) are encouraged to apply.
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit the following by June 20, 2025:
- A resume
- A statement of interest (maximum 300 words), describing your current or planned research and motivation for participating
- A short description of a qualitative research topic or field study you are currently developing
- Applications should be sent to: [research@mipa.institute]
Email Subject: Application – Qualitative Research Workshop
Selected participants will be notified by June 25, 2025.
About the Organizers
MIPA (The Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis) is an independent think tank based in Rabat, dedicated to producing evidence-based policy research and fostering informed public debate in Morocco and the wider MENA region.
NIMAR (The Netherlands Institute in Morocco) is an academic and cultural center affiliated with Leiden University, committed to strengthening academic exchange and social research in Morocco.
Pablo de Olavide University is a dynamic public institution located in Seville, Spain. Established in 1997, it is one of the country’s youngest universities, named after the 18th-century Peruvian intellectual and reformer, Pablo de Olavide. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs across various disciplines and fosters a vibrant research environment, housing several research centers dedicated to fields such as History, Languages, Mathematics, and more.
Workshop Expert
Marta G. Garcia de Paredes: Holder of a PhD in Social Sciences and a BA in Political Science (University of Granada – Sciences Po Bordeaux), she is a lecturer and researcher in political science at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. Her work focuses on the relationship between youth and politics, illustrated by a field study on youth parliamentary quotas in Morocco (2016–2019), during which she conducted observations in the Moroccan parliament and interviews with political actors. Her research has been published in academic journals such as Representation, The Journal of Modern African Studies, and Critical African Studies.
Mahmoud Maâmar: A PhD candidate in sociology at Moulay Ismail University in Meknes, Mahmoud’s research explores the involvement of young people in rural and oasis-based agricultural dynamics, from an intergenerational and gendered perspective. He is particularly interested in the intergenerational co-production of agricultural knowledge, the subject of a recent publication in Cahiers Agricultures (Maâmar et al., 2025). His approach is based on qualitative methods: interviews, life stories, and participant observation.
Anne-Myriam Abdelhak: She is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Paris, within the Migration and Society Research Unit (URMIS), where she is a member of the research group “City and Urbanity.” Her doctoral research focused on street arts in major Moroccan cities, particularly circus arts and acrobatics. Based on an ethnography of the practices and lifestyles of artists, she explores the cultural models they draw upon and what these reveal about their relationships to history, the body, and forms of urbanity. Interested in socially impactful projects, she is the co-founder of the association Sala Doc, which supports the training of young documentary filmmakers and promotes visual education in the city of Salé. She also works as a consultant in evaluation and communication for development projects in Morocco.
MIPA Institute
MIPA is a non-profit independent research institution based in Rabat, Morocco. Founded by a group of transdisciplinary researchers, MIPA’s mission is to produce systematic and in-depth analysis of relevant policy issues that lead to new and innovative ideas for solving some of the most pressing issues relating to democracy.
