Amsterdam has been crowned European Capital of Innovation in the annual iCapital competition, organized by the European Commission. A panel of independent experts judged the nine finalist cities based on four key areas of urban living impacted by innovation: governance, economics, social inclusion, and quality of life. Facing tough competition, Amsterdam came out on top and was praised for its healthy start-up climate and sharing economy resulting from a bottom-up approach based on smart growth, startups, liveability and digital social innovation.
To help scale up the city’s comprehensive "innovation ecosystem", Amsterdam will receive €950 000 in first prize funding. Second and third prizes of €100 000 and €50 000 were awarded to Turin and Paris. With a number of citywide innovation projects and a Smart City initiative, this award comes as a significant milestone in Amsterdam’s ongoing mission to reinvent public services.
Each of the nine finalist cities created a short film highlighting their unique innovation efforts. Watching each video, it is clear that a wave of innovation is gathering momentum across Europe. Watch each video below and discover how each city qualified as a finalist.