Adnane Remmal: an international education, a research career built in Morocco

UNESCO has named Adnane Remmal among the 2026 recipients of its UNESCO–Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. The Fez-based professor is recognised for work addressing antimicrobial resistance. The official announcement scheduled the awards ceremony for November 6 in Paris. 

His career also carries a story relevant to Moroccan professionals overseas. The European Patent Office records that Remmal continued his education at Orsay, completed a doctorate in France in 1987 and returned to Morocco. He became a professor and researcher in Fez the following year. 

For younger researchers considering their options, that journey raises a practical question: what conditions allow international training to become a lasting contribution to a Moroccan institution? The answer requires looking at the research environment, opportunities to teach and the ability to sustain professional relationships across borders.

His university also documents his receipt of the European Inventor Award’s Popular Prize in 2017, recognising research intended to improve the effectiveness of antibiotics. 

MMNEWS sees value in examining the continuity behind these distinctions. A successful scientific career depends on years of work that an award ceremony can only briefly illuminate.

Remmal’s example should not be turned into a prescription that every researcher abroad must return. Its significance lies in showing what deserves closer attention: the conditions under which Moroccan expertise can develop, circulate and produce useful work.