The Italian city of Turin is the new European Capital of Innovation 2024-25 (iCapital), an award that aims to celebrate European cities that are at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the benefit of their citizens.
The announcement was made by the European Commission on November 13, 2024 in Lisbon, the city that had won this award last year. Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, presented the award to Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Turin, on the main stage of the Web Summit, one of Europe's most exciting innovation events and among the most important in the world.
The international award
Through iCapital, the European Union rewards cities with inclusive innovation ecosystems. The award, now in its 10th year, identifies cities that succeed in connecting citizens with academia, the private sector and the public sector to improve the well-being of society as a whole, while promoting breakthrough innovation.
Turin - favored over Espoo (Finland) and West Midlands (United Kingdom) in the 'European Capital of Innovation' category - will also get one million euros. In the 'Emerging Innovative Cities' category, the city of Braga (Portugal) won, ahead of Linz (Austria) and Oulu (Finland).
The jury highlighted as factors for the awarding of this prize the role of initiatives such as the Torino City Lab platform, the City of Turin's open and widespread innovation laboratory that since 2021 has been enriched with CTE Next - the House of Emerging Technologies of Turin in which I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino, is also a partner - as well as the related Torino Social Impact platform, with its numerous projects aimed at creating social impact on the territory. Tools but, above all, ecosystems of actors and energies that have enabled the co-creation and experimentation of cutting-edge urban solutions under real conditions in areas ranging from Smart Mobility to Smart Living, toward a zero-emission city model that generates opportunities for all.
These are cities that have taken steps to reshape their communities by incorporating innovation into the fabric of daily life, from pioneering sustainability initiatives to promoting inclusive digital transformation. These innovative cities have not only transformed their urban landscapes but also serve as models for others, demonstrating how innovation can be a tool for systemic change and social progress.
Turin's ecosystem of innovation
“The awarding of the 'European Capital of Innovation Award 2024-25' is a recognition of commitment and work to outline a vision of the future that has citizens and communities always at the center of innovation processes,” commented Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Turin. “Innovation is a powerful tool for creating fairer, more sustainable and livable environments. Thanks to new technologies and urban planning, it is possible to improve both citizens' quality of life and public service levels by turning our attention to sustainability, energy efficiency, communications and emergency management.”
“Our city has been able to show a comprehensive approach to experimentation and innovation, leveraging its rich history and ecosystem to address current and future urban challenges,” recalled Chiara Foglietta, Councillor for Innovation of the City of Turin. "The city has developed a range of innovative solutions, from smart city technologies to social innovation initiatives, and has paid particular attention to collaboration, inclusiveness and environmental issues.”
In support of Turin's application, several players representing the local innovation ecosystem and involved in the award-winning Turin projects were present at the technology event in the Portuguese city: the University of Turin, Politecnico di Torino, Turin Chamber of Commerce with Torino Social Impact, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and Fondazione Piemonte Innova.
Previous winners have included Barcelona (2014), Amsterdam (2016), Paris (2017), Athens (2018), Nantes (2019), Leuven (2020), Dortmund (2021), Aix-Marseille Provence Metropole (2022), and Lisbon (2023) as European Capitals of Innovation. In the category of emerging innovative cities, previous winners were Vantaa (2021), Haarlem (2022) and Linkoping (2023).
