It was in 2002 that the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University of Fez invited Robert Laurini to reorganize computer science research in the Dar El Mahraz Faculty, and it was, following this intervention that the idea of founding USF was born. Twenty years later, he was again invited to help researchers.

Thus, on Monday, February 17, 2025, a meeting was organized with about thirty doctoral students, also from other institutions. Everyone was able to quickly present his/her work and advices were given to better formalize the problem, to recommend articles to be read, to establish an appropriate methodology, to build a research network, etc.

On Tuesday 18, a seminar entitled “Recommendations for writing theses and articles with generative AI” outlined the main features of this new approach by presenting hopes and pitfalls to be avoided. Several ethical issues were addressed. See the article on this subject in this newsletter.

Another presentation, more dedicated to IT specialists, was given on Wednesday on the theme “Introduction to smart cities and digital twins of cities”. It addressed the differences between these concepts, one more organizational, and the other more computer-based, in order to transform cities to better adapt to technological, environmental and societal developments.
A third seminar was presented at the National School of Applied Sciences of Fez on the theme of the articulation of geographic information systems and the Internet of Urban Things, in particular mobile public vehicles.

At the same time, various meetings were held with the heads of the university’s structures, and several avenues for collaboration were studied.