iCapital Alumni Network launches at Urban Future 2022 in Helsingborg

On 1 June 2022, during the Urban Future 2022 conference and the H22 City Expo in Helsingborg, former winners and runners up of the European Capital of Innovation Awards met for the inaugural session of the iCapital Alumni Network. The event opened with a public session titled Innovation Kick-starter for cities and continued with a closed afternoon meeting for alumni representatives. The gathering brought together cities that the European Innovation Council recognises for having built inclusive innovation ecosystems that link citizens, academia, business and the public sector.

Why cities are central to Europe’s innovation agenda

Urban areas are frontlines for many of Europe’s policy priorities including decarbonisation, digitalisation, social cohesion and resilient public services. The European Commission estimates that the urban share of the population will keep growing. That intensifies pressure on service delivery and infrastructure while creating opportunities for cities to act as rapid experimentation sites where new governance models, procurement approaches and technologies can be tested at scale.

What happened at Urban Future 2022

Urban Future and the H22 City Expo provided the public forum. The morning session, Innovation Kick-starter for cities, included an iCapital panel that aimed to dissect how the winning cities had managed to innovate. Panelists and attendees explored practical questions: what institutional changes were needed, how projects were initiated, and how competition recognition such as iCapital helped. The afternoon was used for the first formal meeting of the iCapital Alumni Network where delegates exchanged contacts, experiences and plans for joint activity.

Cities represented at the inaugural alumni meeting

What the iCapital awards aim to recognise

The European Capital of Innovation Awards, supported by the European Innovation Council, identify cities that are building inclusive innovation ecosystems. The awards look for places that connect the public with academia, industry and government to translate innovation into improved societal wellbeing. Winning or placing raises public visibility and positions cities as role models for peers across Europe.

Past winners mentioned at the event

Purpose and limits of the iCapital Alumni Network

The alumni network is intended to create a sustained peer learning forum where cities can share best practices, co-design replication strategies, identify collaboration opportunities and raise the profile of members as role models. The network also aims to facilitate cross border collaboration at EU, national and regional levels and to help cities better connect with funding and technical support.

Those aims are broadly consistent with best practice on peer learning. However, such networks often struggle to convert exchanges into measurable outcomes without dedicated follow up resources. Replication of a practice that worked in one city depends on legal, financial and institutional conditions that can vary widely. Successful diffusion therefore requires complementary support such as technical assistance, open data, aligned procurement rules and dedicated funding streams.

Practical notes and next steps

At the time of the Helsingborg meeting the 2022 edition of the iCapital awards was open for applications until 30 June 2022. Cities interested in applying were signposted to the iCapital pages managed by the European Innovation Council and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency for rules and submission guidance. The alumni network planned to use Urban Future and similar city focused platforms to host exchanges and deepen connections across members.

A sober assessment

Recognition programmes and alumni networks can catalyse interest and create reputational capital for cities that are genuinely investing in innovation. They are not, however, a substitute for transparent evidence of impact, long term financing and institutional reform. For the iCapital alumni network to deliver beyond networking it will need to combine peer exchange with practical tools such as replication playbooks, matched technical assistance and clear monitoring frameworks that show whether innovations improved services and equity at scale. Policymakers in Brussels have instruments such as Horizon Europe and related ecosystem support to amplify these aims, but effective local implementation remains the critical test.

Event context

Urban Future 2022 and H22 City Expo in Helsingborg were described as platforms for CityChangers including planners, mayors, activists and citizens to discuss sustainable urban futures. H22 City Expo is a multi week international showcase demonstrating the role of innovation in future cities and provided the public setting for the iCapital alumni launch.