The European Commission has revealed the winners of the European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital), with the main prizes going to the cities of Lisbon and Linköping.
Moreover, the 1st and 2nd runners up have been also announced as follows:
The European Capital of Innovation category:
Lisbon (Portugal) - winner
Warsaw (Poland) - 1st runner up
Lviv (Ukraine) – 2nd runner up
"Lisbon’s tech scene has met unprecedented growth in the past two years. Home to one of the most dynamic ecosystems in Europe, the City is now branded the “Unicorn Capital” and has been attracting entrepreneurs from around the world. The City is putting in place a new strategy to develop large scale companies and connect technology with culture, sustainability, and citizen engagement."
The European Rising Innovative city category:
Linköping (Sweden) - winner
Padova (Italy) – 1st runner up
Cork (Ireland) – 2nd runner up
"Linköping is at an exciting stage of history, where so many positive factors have converged to foster the opportunity for unprecedented growth and with it, an unwavering faith in the future. Linköping is Sweden’s fifth largest city and is growing rapidly. With its prime location in the south east, 80 % of Sweden's Limited companies can be reached effectively within a manageable 300 km radius. Knowledge, entrepreneurial spirit and ground-breaking innovation have been the hallmarks of Linköping's history since the 12th century. Back in the 1960s, the foundation was laid for what is today Linköping University. Their vision – With the courage to think freely and innovate – indicates that they take on the challenges of today. Innovation is Linköping University’s only tradition."
The prizes were awarded by Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in Marseille (France) during the ceremony co-hosted by the Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole, winner of iCapital 2022. Among others, the mayors from the winning cities, members of the European Parliament, Mayor of Haarlem (Rising Innovative city winner 2022) and innovation stakeholders from France and Africa attended the ceremony.
The prize was first awarded in 2014. Past winners include Barcelona (2014), Amsterdam (2016), Paris (2017), Athens (2018), Nantes (2019), Leuven (2020), Dortmund (2021), and Aix-Marseille Provence Metropole (2022) as European Capitals of Innovation. Past winners in the Rising Innovative city category include Vantaa (2021) and Haarlem (2022).
Read more about the award and The European Innovation Council.
