European Capital of Innovation Awards 2024

Objectives and Scope

• The traditional city innovation ecosystem is opening up 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. Moreover, collaboration and strengthening synergies among innovation ecosystems boost cities’ development and resilience to tackle urban challenges and inspires many other cities follow a similar path.
• 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.
• For this reason, the European Capital of Innovation Awards will recognize the cities’ role as catalysers of the local innovation ecosystem and will stimulate new activities aimed at boosting game-changing innovation.

Specific Challenge

• Cities are faced with most severe societal and sustainability challenges but do also have the means to develop, promote, and apply effective innovative solutions. They are the place where ideas, people, public and private actors meet and engage to improve the quality of life of citizens. They are the natural playground where breakthrough innovations flourish and nourish. They provide ground to experiment new technologies and products in a real environment, their interaction with people and their added value.

Categories

The Awards will feature two categories:

• European Capital of Innovation 2024 category:
  • 1 winner: the winner (ranked 1st) will be named the European Capital of Innovation 2024 and will receive a prize of EUR 1 million. The prize is dedicated to recognise the winning city’s innovative practices, raise its international profile, and enhance its capacity as a widely recognised role model city for urban innovation.
  • 2 runners-up cities: top two cities (ranked 2 nd and 3rd) will be awarded each a prize of EUR 100 000.
• European Rising Innovative City 2024 category:
  • 1 winner: the winner (ranked 1st) will be named the European Rising Innovative City 2024 and will receive a prize of EUR 500 000. The prize is dedicated to recognise the winning town’s/city’s innovative practices, raise its international profile, and enhance its capacity as a widely recognised role model town/city for urban innovation.
  • 2 runners-up cities: top two towns/cities (ranked 2 nd and 3rd) will be awarded each a prize of EUR 50 000.

Expected Results

• A European prize to the most innovative cities ecosystems. 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.

Eligible Participants

• The candidate towns and 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 250 000 inhabitants. In countries where there are no such cities, the city coming closest to 250 000 inhabitants is eligible to apply for the European Capital of Innovation category, provided that it has a minimum population of 50 000 inhabitants and that the city did not apply for the European Rising Innovative City category.
• The candidate towns and cities for the European Rising Innovative City category must have a population of 50 000 and up to 249 999 inhabitants.
• Winners of former European Capital of Innovation Awards editions, as well as runners-up of the edition 2023 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.
• Joint applications by a group of applicants are not accepted.

For more information, visit European Commission.