The European Capital of Innovation Award (iCapital)

Deadline: 18 June 2025

The European Commission is seeking applications for its European Capital of Innovation Award to recognize city administrators who are courageous enough to open up their governance practices to experimentation, to boost innovation by all means, to be a role model for other cities, and to push the boundaries of technology for the benefit of their citizens.

The award will raise the profile of the cities that have developed and implemented innovative policies; established frameworks that boost breakthrough innovation; enhanced the city attractiveness towards investors, industry, enterprises and talents; helped to open up connections and strengthen links with other cities, promoting the replication of best practices in the innovation field; enhanced citizens’ involvement in the decision-making process; and supported cities resilience.

Objectives

The traditional city innovation ecosystem is opening to new models of innovation engaging citizens, ensuring their involvement in the decision-making process, and reinforcing democracy and rights. An increasing number of cities are acting as test beds for innovation and run people-driven initiatives to find solutions to societal challenges, such as climate change, digitalisation, sustainable growth or social cohesion, including through new endeavours such as nature-based solutions and EU Missions.
The public domain is particularly challenged with finding effective ways to ensure the mainstreaming of these practices into the ordinary urban development process. Successful practices are particularly crucial to enhance the city’s capacity to attract and retain new resources, funds and talents to stimulate the growth of breakthrough innovations.
The New European Innovation Agenda sets out a vision for harnessing the power of innovation to drive economic growth, social progress, and contribute to the green and digital transition in Europe. The agenda emphasizes the need for strategic investments in key technologies, including deep tech, and for strengthening and better connecting innovation ecosystems through stronger collaboration between regions, to close the innovation divide.

Award Information

Amount: EUR 1200000

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate cities must be located in one of the EU Member States or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.
For the category of European Capital of Innovation, the candidate city must have a minimum population of 250000 inhabitants. In countries where there are no such cities, the city coming closest to 250000 inhabitants is eligible to apply for the European Capital of Innovation category, provided that it has a minimum population of 50000 inhabitants and that the city is not applying at the same time for the European Rising Innovative City category.

Ineligibility Criteria

Legal entities with separate legal personality from cities, even if founded and funded by the cities, are not eligible to apply.
Winners of former European Capital of Innovation Awards editions, as well as runners-up of the edition 2024 are not eligible. This does not apply to previous finalist cities.
Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.

Evaluation Criteria