Six finalists named for the 2022 European Capital of Innovation Awards

The European Capital of Innovation Awards also known as iCapital announced six finalists for its eighth edition on 28 October 2022. The prize recognises cities that develop inclusive local innovation ecosystems and act as test beds for policies and technologies that aim to improve citizens' well being while supporting breakthrough innovation. The award is supported by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe and is administered by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA.

The 2022 finalists

What happens next and the prize money

The juries of independent experts will select one winner and two runners up in each category. The winners were scheduled to be announced at the EIC Summit in Brussels on 7 December 2022. The European Capital of Innovation category awards the winner €1,000,000 and two runners up €100,000 each. The European Rising Innovative City category awards the winner €500,000 and two runners up €50,000 each. All finalists are invited to join the EIC Forum working group on the EIC Prizes Alumni network which brings together past finalists to exchange practices and policy insights.

How finalists were selected

The selection followed an initial round that produced twelve semi finalist cities. Two high level juries of independent experts carried out assessments and invited cities to private hearings. Those hearings allow candidates to present their applications and answer jury questions. From the hearings the juries selected three finalists per category. The process is managed under the EIC Prizes framework of Horizon Europe and supervised by EISMEA.

Award goals and selection criteria

iCapital aims to reward cities that build inclusive innovation ecosystems that connect citizens academia businesses and the public sector. The competition looks for cities that both enable experimentation and mainstream the results. The award also seeks cities that act as role models and help other cities replicate successful approaches.

Eligibility and categories

The competition has two categories. The European Capital of Innovation is for cities with at least 250 000 inhabitants. The European Rising Innovative City is for towns and cities with 50 000 up to 249 999 inhabitants. Cities located in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country can apply. Rules allow a city in a country without a 250 000 population city to apply to the Capital category if it is the largest and has at least 50 000 residents but did not apply to the Rising category. Winners and recent runners up from previous editions are ineligible to apply again for the immediate subsequent edition.

Background and past winners

The iCapital prize started in 2014 and has run annually with some editions covering multiple years. Past European Capitals of Innovation include Barcelona 2014 Amsterdam 2016 Paris 2017 Athens 2018 Nantes 2019 Leuven 2020 and Dortmund 2021. A Rising Innovative City category was introduced in 2021 with Vantaa as the first winner. The prize forms part of the EIC Prizes under Horizon Europe and is one of several mechanisms the EIC uses to highlight and disseminate innovation practices at local level.

Why the prize matters and what to watch for

The iCapital award can provide a significant publicity boost and a one off injection of funds that cities can use for new programmes or to scale existing initiatives. It also creates formal channels for peer learning through the alumni network. However awards do not substitute for sustained national or municipal budgetary commitments. Cash prizes are useful but not sufficient to guarantee long term ecosystem transformation. The effectiveness of iCapital depends on follow up data on outcomes and on whether cities use the funding to address structural bottlenecks such as procurement practices talent pipelines and regulatory constraints. Independent evaluation of impact beyond media coverage is limited in public material so claims of systemic change should be treated cautiously and examined against measurable results over several years.

Practical notes and contacts

The 2022 winners were due to be revealed at the EIC Summit in Brussels on 7 December 2022. For official information the organisers provide a public webpage and a contact email for the iCapital awards. The prize is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency EISMEA which also runs other EIC programmes and support services.