EU seeks the next Capital of Innovation

The European Commission has launched the second edition of the European Capital of Innovation award at a plenary session of the Committee of the Regions.

The competition rewards the European city which is building the best ‘innovation ecosystem’, connecting citizens, public organisations, academia and business. According to the Commission, it is these areas that will contribute the most to making Europe more innovative.

Making the announcement in Brussels, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, said: “With the European Capital of Innovation Award, the EU is recognising those cities which are making major efforts to promote innovation and improving the quality of their citizens’ lives.”

The new Capital of Innovation will receive €950,000 to scale up its innovation activities. The second and third cities in the ranking will respectively receive €100,000 and €50,000 for networking activities.

Adding his thoughts, Markku Markkula, president of the Committee of the Regions, said: “We fully support the European Capital of Innovation Award – Europe needs more renewal capital and acceleration of the implementation of innovative practices.

“Our cities are the drivers of open innovation – increasingly interlinked with their regions’ smart specialisation policy. Innovation ecosystems flourish through the interaction with citizens, universities, industry and public sector. We encourage the cities to grasp this spirit and apply for the award.”

Applicant cities will be judged on how ongoing and future initiatives create the right environment to innovate. The competition is open until 18 November 2015 and an independent panel of experts will select the winning city and the two runners-up in early 2016.