K2K Centre of Excellence for Horticulture in Agadir, Morocco Morocco faces challenges in its important horticulture sector, like low investment in greenhouses, unskilled labour, poor reliability and quality of produce and increasing scarcity and price of inputs like water, fertilizers and electricity.Morocco and The Netherlands decided to join forces to make Morocco’s horticulture more sustainable and to do so by setting up a Centre d’ Excellence Horticole (CEH). The main goal is to strengthen the relationship between Morocco and the Netherlands in research and higher education and to strengthen Moroccan capacity in covered horticulture techniques and technology while simultaneously creating business opportunities for Dutch companies in horticulture technology.The Centre of Excellence for Horticulture will act as the central research and education arena and house research and educational facilities for research and education staff of the Centre, PhD students doing research, students following education and performing BSC and MSC level research all in sustainable horticulture as well research assistants, greenhouse workers and the Centres administrative and finance support staff.The Center of Excellence will establish robust connections with the private industry. Through demonstrations of new techniques and technology to the private sector, innovation and new knowledge in horticulture will be disseminated and introduced at the level of local growers.Furthermore, the private Moroccan sector will take place on the board of the Centre of Excellence and will have a voice in setting the research project agenda. In the longer term, there is a link with the private sector through students acquainted with the latest techniques and technology in horticulture. Through its direct links with the private sector, CEH will improve productivity and product quality and stimulate sustainable production methods in Moroccan greenhouses to lessen the pressure on the environment and meet the needs and requirements of the EU market. By testing and demonstrating new technologies and transferring the results to different stakeholders, the centre can help the Moroccan growers strengthen their competitiveness. A centre of excellence for horticulture would prove to the policymakers the added value of investing in new and sustainable technologies in the horticulture sector and the necessity to stimulate investment in such a transition through government funds.After two years, this will have led to the following results:•	A greenhouse which has been built following the jointly developed scientific program for the Centre of Excellence.•	A joint Moroccan Dutch 2-year research programme in which CEH is instrumental.•	Five joint research projects of which the results have been actively disseminated within the Dutch and Moroccan horticulture sectors.•	Approximately fifty Moroccan students and PhD students will have been educated and done research in the greenhouse through the CEH.•	Moroccan researchers will have access to CEH and its facilities.•	Approximately 500 Moroccan farmers and professionals in horticulture will attend training and demonstrations at the CEH, in which the greenhouse will be instrumental.•	Approximately 40 business leads for Dutch companies.