[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6955\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAthens is named the 2018 European capital of innovation\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWinner: Athens, Greece\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The Athenian project Curing the Limbo connects local citizens with refugees. Image credit - Athens City Council \u0022 height src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/athens.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022The Athenian project Curing the Limbo connects local citizens with refugees. Image credit - Athens City Council \u0022 width\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe Athenian project Curing the Limbo connects local citizens with refugees. Image credit - Athens City Council\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAusterity, economic hardship and being on the frontline of Europe\u0027s refugee crisis have created immense social challenges for the people of Athens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe city is responding by applying innovation at a social level. For example, a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.uia-initiative.eu\/en\/uia-cities\/athens\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECuring the Limbo\u003C\/a\u003E is connecting the growing refugee population to local citizens, by providing them with affordable living spaces, whilst in return, refugees work for the public benefit and recieve on-the-job training from the University of Athens. The refugees will acquire skills in language learning, psychosocial support and knowledge about their legal rights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAthens sees itself as a city that has been able to do more with less. It prides itself on the compassion of its inhabitants and sees itself as a pioneer of innovation that will help societies address future challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERunner-up:\u0026nbsp;Aarhus,\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EDenmark\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Aarhus aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Image credit - Dennis Borup\u0022 height src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/aarhus_forside_crop.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Aarhus aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Image credit - Dennis Borup\u0022 width\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EAarhus aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Image credit - Dennis Borup\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEdged by sandy beaches and pristine forest, Aarhus is Denmark\u2019s fastest growing city. To tackle ensuing challenges such as increased traffic and weakened social cohesion, it established the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.icapitalaarhus.dk\/the-aarhus-goals\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EAarhus Goals\u003C\/a\u003E as a blueprint for growth, which include targets to create 4,000 new jobs annually and become carbon neutral by 2030.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAarhus uses \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ip-Wf2_D160\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ea network of 130 Bluetooth sensors\u003C\/a\u003E to tackle traffic congestion and reduce fuel consumption. The sensors collect data from devices on board vehicles, such as smartphones, in monitored areas where it is then uploaded and stored in the cloud to be analysed by traffic strategists. It has also provided \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/portal.opendata.dk\/organization\/about\/city-of-aarhus\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eopen access\u003C\/a\u003E to a large amount of data from Danish institutions and companies so that it can be used to create digital services on topics including recycling, traffic and sports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe physical city is changing too. The university and trade hub are working on projects to improve public transportation and renovate the harbour to create new homes, whilst an abandoned central railroad depot has become a cultural and entrepreneurial hotspot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERunner-up: Leuven, Belgium\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Leuven is home to one of the top ranked universities in the world. Image credit - Willem Govaerts\u0022 height=\u0022801\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/leuven.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Leuven is home to one of the top ranked universities in the world. Image credit - Willem Govaerts\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ELeuven is home to one of the top ranked universities in the world. Image credit - Willem Govaerts\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELeuven is a magnet for students, talent and innovation, sporting one of the top ranked universities in the world, as well as Europe\u2019s largest independent nanoelectronics research centre. In 2018, KU Leuven topped the list for the third year in a row on Reuters\u2019 ranking of Europe\u2019s most innovative universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELeuven embraces collaboration, leading to the creation of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.leuvenmindgate.be\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ELeuven MindGate\u003C\/a\u003E, a network of civil societies, government, industry and academia which was set up in 2016 to position the region internationally as a top destination in health, high-tech and creativity. It also encourages cross-pollination of ideas for the benefit of local companies. Another initiative, Leuven 2030, is a collective of 100 organisations committed to make the city carbon neutral by the end of the next decade.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERunner-up: Hamburg, Germany\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Hamburg hosts Europe\u2019s largest district for car sharing. Image credit - www.mediaserver.hamburg.de \/ Ralph Larmann\u0022 height=\u0022764\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Hamburg_crp.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Hamburg hosts Europe\u2019s largest district for car sharing. Image credit - www.mediaserver.hamburg.de \/ Ralph Larmann\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EHamburg hosts Europe\u2019s largest district for car sharing. Image credit - www.mediaserver.hamburg.de \/ Ralph Larmann\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EConnect, collaborate and create are the principles which drive the German city\u2019s approach to innovation. Hamburg is a trading hub that fosters future-thinking industries from life sciences and fintech, to speeding up applying medical research for major public health issues such as antibiotic resistance. It also boasts the third largest \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hamburg-aviation.de\/en\/aviation-site.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ecivil aviation site\u003C\/a\u003E in the world where research from aircraft design to recycling is carried out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHamburg is dedicated to environmental responsibility, hosting Europe\u2019s largest district for car sharing and electro mobility. It is also developing sustainable mobility and logistics as well as regenerative energy for the metropolitan area, which has a population of 5 million. Hamburg also \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.uni-hamburg.de\/en\/forschung\/forschungsprofil\/exzellenzcluster\/clisap.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ehas a climate cluster\u003C\/a\u003E: a collection of 250 scientists and technicians from across the nation, to help predict and mitigate the effects of climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERunner-up: Toulouse, France\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Toulouse\u0027s driverless autonomous shuttle was created by a local start-up. Image credit - \u00a9EasyMile \u0022 height=\u0022675\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/toulouse.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Toulouse\u0027s driverless autonomous shuttle was created by a local start-up. Image credit - \u00a9EasyMile \u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EToulouse\u0027s driverless autonomous shuttle was created by a local start-up. Image credit - \u00a9EasyMile\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis city, which was France\u0027s first metropolis, has implemented an Open M\u00e9tropolis strategy to adopt the most powerful technologies to improve people\u0027s daily lives. As part of the vision for a future city, it has set up a series of urban experiments, including a digital social wall display to show social network flows corresponding to a given event and a fall detection monitoring system for elderly people. The aim is to meet future economic and demographic growth challenges head on.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToulouse also created the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.toulouse-metropole.fr\/smart-city-en\/the-usages-laboratory\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EUsages Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E, a location that brings together start-ups, citizens, and businesses to propose and experiment with ideas, such as the artificially intelligent chatbot Violette, who assists people in public or mobility projects. One example is the city\u2019s autonomous shuttle EasyMile, created by a local start-up to test the use of these driverless vehicles for tourists and transportation of goods.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToulouse was the European City of Science for 2018 and hosted the EuroScience Open Forum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERunner-up:\u0026nbsp;Ume\u00e5, Sweden\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Ume\u00e5 was ranked number one in Sweden in terms of jobs created, thanks to the rapid growth of its creative economy. Image credit - Umea City Council \u0022 height=\u0022800\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/umea.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Ume\u00e5 was ranked number one in Sweden in terms of jobs created, thanks to the rapid growth of its creative economy. Image credit - Umea City Council \u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EUme\u00e5 was ranked number one in Sweden in terms of jobs created, thanks to the rapid growth of its creative economy. Image credit - Umea City Council\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe smallest city in the iCapital finals prioritises creativity and the sharing of ideas between citizens, organisations, academia, companies and other cities, giving a platform to underrepresented groups and community-based approaches.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2017, the city, which is around 400km from the Arctic Circle, was ranked number one in Sweden in terms of jobs created, thanks to the rapid growth of its creative economy, hosting designers and digital artists. Ume\u00e5 wants to increase its population by more than half to 200,000 by 2050, while remaining socially, econologically, culturally and economically sustainable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUme\u00e5 also prides itself on its work towards gender equality, even highlighting gender bias in the city\u0027s guided tours when talking about institutions such as schools and public football pitches, it is also home to Europe\u0027s first 5G hospital.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EEuropean Capital of Innovation (iCapital)\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/funding\/funding-opportunities\/prizes\/icapital_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EiCapital\u003C\/a\u003E cash prize is an annual award which recognises a city\u0027s unique approach to innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECities are judged on how well they foster open innovation, engage and empower citizens in governance and decision-making, and come up with original solutions to social challenges, sustainability and improving the lives of residents. They are also evaluated on how well they set an example for other cities to follow in their steps.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo apply, a city must have a population of more than 100,000 people and be located in an EU country, or one that is associated with Horizon 2020, EU\u2019s research and innovation programme\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-uqsjv1xyow5mlxul1qsqw3j1u-olew65a9-0j3oq9ii\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-UqSJV1XYOW5MLxul1qsQW3j1U_OLEw65a9_0J3Oq9iI\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]