Watch:
With the European Capital of Innovation Award, the European Commission wants to acknowledge the outstanding achievement of a city in building up an innovation ecosystem, i.e. a system which links the citizens (People) with a built environment (Place) and public organizations and policy-makers (Public) through business (Private).
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said:
Cities are the engines of the European economy. Seven out of 10 Europeans live in an urban area, and these regions generate two thirds of EU GDP. We want to encourage cities to raise their game when it comes to innovation, and create a network of cities which can share their best ideas for the future.
The contest is open until 3 December 2013, 5:00 pm (Brussels time). The award of EUR 500 000 will be given to the winning city to scale up its achievement. Cities will be judged both on initiatives and achievements until now, as well as their future ideas to enhance innovative capacity. They will have to demonstrate that they are following a comprehensive strategy that is:
- Innovative – in terms of concepts, processes and tools.
- Inspiring ‘“ with the aim of attracting talent, funding, investment and citizens’ involvement and engagement.
- Integrated ‘“ demonstrating links with the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy, namely smart, sustainable and inclusive growth across Europe.
- Interactive – building a community for innovation within the city and with other cities.
More info
Visit the iCapital award website