Athens Amongst The Top 6 For European Capital Of Innovation Award

Athens is among the six European cities shortlisted for the 2018 European Capital of Innovation Award, organized under the auspices of the European Commission. Athens, Aarhus, Hamburg, Leuven, Toulouse, and Umeå will be judged for the implementation of innovative solutions to social challenges throughout the past year.

 

Despite the ongoing Greek financial crisis, the city of Athens has managed to design and implement new social innovation initiatives. Namely, with the ‘Curing the Limbo’ project, Athens is giving underprivileged Athenians and refugees a chance to afford housing, develop work skills, and find employment. Furthermore, alongside private partners the City of Athens’ Digital Lab is fostering digital literacy and applying civic technology such as smart recycling bins that provide real-time data about the capacity of the bins and their recycling performance.

 

Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation who will be announcing the winner in Lisbon on November 6^th, said: ‘Many European cities are world leaders in urban innovation. They find new ways of involving citizens in community life, support business growth or adapt to global challenges and sustain the local social fabric. All of the contestants for the European Capital of Innovation title are testament to such efforts. I look forward to announcing the winner at next month’s awarding ceremony.’

Applications will be judged by independent experts from across Europe. A monetary prize of 1 million euro will be awarded to the winning city while 100 thousand euro will be awarded to each of the five runner-up cities.