València, finalist for the European Capital of Innovation in 2020

València, finalist for the European Capital of Innovation in 2020

Missions València 2030 is the innovation strategy from the València City Council for the next decade.
The winner will receive the title of European Capital of Innovation 2020, as well as €1.000.000 to support innovation activities and improve its capability to connect individuals, public sector, academia and companies in order to provide social improvements for their communities.

This morning, València made it to the final to become the European Capital of Innovation 2020 thanks to its innovation strategy for missions for the next decade, enshrined in the Missions València 2030 project. This project was presented last June by the Innovation and Knowledge Management Office from the València City Council and the Municipal Innovation Centre Las Naves.

Together with València, 11 European cities have also been selected, such as Milan (Italy), Reykjavík (Iceland), Vienna (Austria), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Espoo (Finland), Ghent (Belgium), Groningen (Netherlands), Helsingborg (Sweden), Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Leuven (Belgium) and Linz (Austria).

A team from the València City Council composed by specialists from the innovation service, the Municipal Innovation Centre Las Naves, the Smart City Office and the European Projects Office will defend its candidacy before a jury on September 3rd and 4th. Out of all these cities, the winner will receive the title of European Capital of Innovation 2020, as well as €1.000.000 to support innovation activities and improve its capability to connect individuals, public sector, academia and companies in order to provide social improvements for their communities. Besides, the first five finalists will be rewarded with €100.000 each. The Commission will proclaim the winner and the finalists of the European Capital of Innovation 2020 competition during the European Research and Innovation Days that will be held from September 22nd to 24th 2020.

This award, financed by Horizon 2020 (the research and innovation programme of the EU), recognises European cities developing vibrant innovation ecosystems in order to tackle public challenges and to improve the quality of life of our citizens.

Carlos Galiana, Councilman of Innovation and Knowledge Management at the València City Council, stated that “the work and the effort that we are doing by implementing Missions València 2030, in order to become a healthier, more sustainable, shared and entrepreneurial city, is already paying off”. Our idea was to apply this year and next year, since the Call allows it, in order to make it to the final and compete for the title in 2021. The fact that we have made it to the final in 2020 shows that we can make València be an innovation benchmark in Europe if we correctly align City Council resources”.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth of the European Commission, stated that “innovation is key so that cities can ensure a sustainable recovery after times of difficulty. When cities nurture their innovation ecosystems so that innovation actors and citizens meet and collaborate, they boost their development and resilience. The sixth edition of the European Capital of Innovation award will be a hard competition and will show the best innovative practices that make European cities move forward”.

A high-level jury composed by independent experts made a short-list of 12 finalists after analysing how cities apply innovative solutions to respond to social challenges, how they use these practices in the urban development process and how they involve local communities in the decision-making process. In the same event where the winners will be proclaimed, the Commission will also announce the winners of the EU Prize for Women Innovators, the EIC Horizon Prize for Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid, and the Horizon Impact Award 2020.