Grenoble Alpes Métropole and Aalborg named European Capitals of Innovation 2026
- ›Grenoble Alpes Métropole wins the 2026 European Capital of Innovation award and a €1 million prize.
- ›Aalborg is named European Rising Innovative City and receives €500,000.
- ›Runners up received smaller cash prizes: Rotterdam and Liverpool in the main category, San Sebastian and Nicosia in the rising city category.
- ›The awards are run by the European Innovation Council and EISMEA under Horizon Europe and emphasise cities as living labs for green and digital transitions.
- ›The prize brings visibility and networking opportunities but monetary impact is limited and long term outcomes remain to be demonstrated.
Grenoble Alpes Métropole and Aalborg named European Capitals of Innovation 2026
On 4 December 2025 the European Commission announced the winners of the 11th edition of the European Capital of Innovation Awards, commonly referred to as iCapital. Grenoble Alpes Métropole in France received the top prize in the main category and a cash award of one million euros. Aalborg in Denmark won the European Rising Innovative City category and was awarded €500,000. The prizes were presented at the Cities Innovate Summit in Turin and are supported by the European Innovation Council under the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
Who won and why
The Commission highlighted Grenoble Alpes Métropole for its dense deeptech ecosystem, long standing public research presence and a strategy that links environmental sustainability, industrial innovation and participatory governance. Grenoble is presented as a climate lab that has cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants substantially since 2005 while coordinating research, industry and local policy experiments.
Aalborg was recognised for its transformation from an industrial city to a testbed for green and digital transition. The city has framed a long term vision connecting sustainability, technology and citizen engagement and has repurposed industrial assets into living laboratories for energy and urban innovation.
| Category | Place | City and country | Prize |
| European Capital of Innovation | Winner | Grenoble Alpes Métropole, France | €1,000,000 |
| European Capital of Innovation | 2nd place | Rotterdam, the Netherlands | €100,000 |
| European Capital of Innovation | 3rd place | Liverpool, United Kingdom | €100,000 |
| European Rising Innovative City | Winner | Aalborg, Denmark | €500,000 |
| European Rising Innovative City | 2nd place | San Sebastian, Spain | €50,000 |
| European Rising Innovative City | 3rd place | Nicosia, Cyprus | €50,000 |
What the award is and how it is run
Eligibility, process and criteria
The 2026 call opened in March 2025 and closed on 18 June 2025. Shortlisted cities advanced through evaluation rounds including remote assessment and interviews. Winners and runners up were announced in Turin on 4 December 2025 during the Cities Innovate Summit.
Context within EU innovation policy
The iCapital awards fit a broader EU narrative that frames cities as engines of the twin transition to digital and green economies. The Commission positions the prize as a way to accelerate transformative urban solutions and to strengthen local innovation ecosystems in line with the EU Startup and Scale-up Strategy and the Competitiveness Compass.
What the winners say and how the Commission framed the result
Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva congratulated the winners and emphasised that innovation is broader than technology and includes inclusive communities and everyday improvements. Momchil Sabev, Director of EISMEA, presented the awards at the summit and underlined the objective of cultivating sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban communities.
Assessment and caveats
The iCapital award brings money, attention and access to networks. However the direct financial value of the prize is modest when compared with municipal budgets and the scale of urban challenges. The €1 million top prize is helpful for pilots and visibility but will rarely finance long term structural change on its own.
A few points to keep in mind when evaluating claims of impact:
1. Reporting bias. Cities that win awards are typically already strong at communications and may present selective evidence of results. Independent impact tracking is rare and outcomes can be difficult to attribute solely to an award or specific projects.
2. Replication complexity. The official award narrative stresses replication of tested solutions. Translating local pilots to other political and regulatory contexts requires resources and governance commitments that the prize does not guarantee.
3. Short versus long term effects. The main measurable benefit may be short term media attention and improved access to networks. Structural change on climate, housing or health typically requires multi year funding and sustained institutional reform.
Past winners, alumni network and knowledge sharing
The iCapital awards are now in their eleventh year. Past European Capitals of Innovation include Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Athens, Nantes, Leuven, Dortmund, Aix-Marseille-Provence, Lisbon and Turin. Rising Innovative City winners included Vantaa, Haarlem, Linköping and Braga. Winners and runners up are invited to join the iCapital alumni network where they share factsheets, case studies and peer learning resources.
Practical next steps and where to find more
Cities interested in future calls should monitor the EIC and EISMEA webpages and the Funding and Tenders portal. The 2026 call closed on 18 June 2025 and the Commission has signalled that similar competitions and other EIC prizes will continue under Horizon Europe.
| Useful resources | Where to look |
| EIC and iCapital information | European Innovation Council and EISMEA websites |
| Horizon Europe funding and rules | EU Funding and Tenders portal |
| EIC prizes and alumni materials | iCapital Alumni factsheets and EIC documents |
Bottom line
The 2026 iCapital awards recognised Grenoble Alpes Métropole and Aalborg for combining technological capacity with strategies for sustainability and civic participation. The prizes reward experimentation and offer useful visibility and peer learning opportunities. At the same time the financial scale of the awards is limited relative to the task of shifting entire city systems. Strong claims about long term impact should be tested against independent evaluation and sustained follow up.