When you give talent a place to grow
When we opened our first STEM lab in Morocco at Lycée Qualifiant Bnou Mandour in Casablanca, in partnership with STMicroelectronics, the idea was simple: give talented young Moroccans the tools, space, and support to go further. Today, that network has grown to four labs across the country, with more to come.
That vision paid off this June at the 2026 Moroccan National Championship of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) in Casablanca, where two teams from Bnou Mandour won first place in their respective categories. From the same school, the same lab, and the same support system, they reached the top.
The 2026 WRO theme, Robots Meet Culture, challenged students to explore how technology can serve heritage, art, and human identity. Team IBM X responded with MemoriBot, an interactive system that lets museum visitors create a personalized laser-engraved cultural souvenir, guided by AI and delivered by an autonomous robot. Team INNOBOTS built a self-driving miniature vehicle that uses computer vision, neural networks, and real-time motor control to complete three autonomous laps, avoid obstacles, and park itself with precision.
These projects were born in the STEM lab at Bnou Mandour, where students learned to think like engineers and turn ideas into working solutions. Our role is not symbolic. It helps create the conditions for talent to grow.
Next December, IBM X and INNOBOTS will take their work to the WRO World Finals in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
These students had talent. What they needed was a place to build it. That is exactly what happened here.
Want to find out more? Read the story of other teams participating to WRO in 2025: https://www.stfoundation.org/casablanca-slovenia-astrominds-team-journey-world-robot-championship-2025/
About the World Robot Olympiad
The World Robot Olympiad mission is to help young people develop their creativity and problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging way. They do this by organizing robotics competitions in four different categories for students aged 8-19* years.
World Robot Olympiad™ Association is an independent non-profit organization. All revenue from sponsorships and fees is invested in support of our mission, which is to promote robotics in STEM education worldwide. WRO® tournaments are organized in over 95 countries.