The European Commission has unveiled the 10th edition of the European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital). The prize is awarded to European cities that are front-runners of innovations that benefit their citizens.
The European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital), supported by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under Horizon Europe, recognise those European cities that open their governance practices to experimentation and aim at being role models for other cities by pushing the boundaries of technology for the benefit of their citizens.
Jean David Malo, director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, launched this edition in a ceremony in Linköping (Sweden), the European Rising Innovative city 2023.
Iliana Ivanova, innovation commissioner said: “European Capital of Innovation Awards celebrate cities that use innovation to reshape the urban landscape, tackle demographic and economic challenges and put citizens at the heart of their decision-making processes.
"Through spotlighting shining examples of creating a better future for people through innovation, the awards are a beacon for the green and digital transition in Europe. This will be the 10th edition of the awards, and I encourage all eligible cities to apply.”
The contest will award a total of six prizes for two categories: the 'European Capital of Innovation' and the 'Rising Innovative City'.
The city winning the 2024 European Capital of Innovation title will receive €1m. Moreover, the first two runners-up of this category will be rewarded with €100,000 each.
In the Rising Innovative City category, the winner will be rewarded with €500,000 accompanied by two runners-up that will receive €50,000 each.
All winners and runners up will be invited to join the EIC Prizes Alumni network, a prestigious group of previous iCapital winners, to share their knowledge, discuss common challenges, and work together to find solutions.
The competition is open to cities with a minimum of 50,000 inhabitants from EU member states and countries associated to Horizon Europe. Two high-level juries of independent experts will evaluate the applications.
Further details can be consulted in the rules of contest.
The launch video can be found here.
The contest is open for applications from March 5 (12am CET) until June 18, 2024 (5pm CET) at this link on the Funding & Tenders portal.
An online info session for potential applicants is scheduled on April 9, check regularly the iCapital webpage for the opening of registrations.