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The funds will go for upgrades, which in turn will impact public health positively and create jobs
“Mayor of the Year” is an important bridge between municipalities and the citizens and a chance to showcase and share regional governments' best practices
The funds will go for upgrades, which in turn will impact public health positively and create jobs
The new fee will be introduced one year later than planned, as a nod to local hospitality industry
The host is once again the Polish city of Lublin
On Sunday, while Minister Stela Baltova was presenting the new incentive, a group of protesters harassed a mobile vaccination centre in Varna until it closed
The winners are in four distinct categories, which explore the idea of heritage from different angles
It will test out the world’s first charging cabinet for electric bicycle batteries, enclosed garages, and real-time monitoring systems
The country has invested over EUR 14.9 million since the 2015 migrant crisis
PM and Labour Party Leader Robert Abela announced record EU funds and connectivity improvements for the smaller Maltese island
Stena Line, Frederikshavn Municipality, and the Port of Frederikshavn signed a historic agreement on Monday
The EU Executive will not go forward with the Bulgarian post-Covid recovery plan before a commitment by the Bulgarian government
This is part of a focused effort to support intermodality in the city
The modern facility on Hungária Boulevard will provide direct access to trams and a bus serving the city centre
The green project worth EUR 1 million is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
Grievances about the condition of roads and greenery can be resolved within 72 hours
The winners are in four distinct categories, which explore the idea of heritage from different angles
The EUR 5 million, local authorities-targeted scheme aims to transform urban centres through public art, light installations and performance spaces
The Olympic Champions in Rhythmic Gymnastics attended the opening of the #BeActive initiative
The opening in Sofia on 23 September
Every fifth student in Poland misses school due to lack of sanitary materials, a local foundation claims
These are meant to encourage conversations and social interaction among residents
iCapital 2020 ceremony, Source: Mariya Gabriel
The lucky winner also receives 1 million euros from the European Commission to implement innovative projects
As of today, following the announcement of the winner of the iCapital 2020 Award at a special ceremony part of the European Research & Innovation Days, Leuven can officially call itself the European Capital of Innovation. The award was virtually handed over to the mayor of the Flemish city Mohamed Ridouani by EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, responsible for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.
What many already knew or suspected has now finally become official: Leuven is the European city that makes the best use of innovation to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. However, beating cities like Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Espoo (Finland), Helsingborg (Sweden), Valencia (Spain) and Vienna (Austria) was no mean feat, making for an even more joyous occasion.
"This is a great recognition of the cooperation model that Leuven uses in many ways to tackle major societal challenges", said Mayor Ridouani upon being presented the award. The application of Leuven is a joint venture of the city authorities and local actors such as Leuven MindGate and Leuven 2030, but it could not have been possible without the active involvement of knowledge institutions and residents, reiterated the mayor. He also expressed his hope that the efforts will continue in the same direction, so that Leuven joins the ranks of the most sustainable, social and prosperous cities in Europe.
In particular, the expert jury appreciated Leuven’s excellent innovation concepts as well as processes and governance models creating a framework that brings ideas to life. Leuven’s ambition is to become one of Europe’s Labs of the Future. For this purpose, different stakeholders come together to tackle challenges ranging from climate change, to the shift to a circular economy, to ensuring high-quality education and care in innovative ways.
Furthermore, it was explained that Leuven is not only providing increased opportunities for innovation to its citizens, but is also actively involving them in testing their ideas. This happens through many projects, among which Leuven 2030 – a partnership of 600 members which includes a roadmap to carbon neutrality; Leuven MindGate - a unique innovation ecosystem that makes Leuven one of the world's prime regions for health, high-tech and creativity and more.
Learn more about what makes Leuven so special in the video below:
“The emotion is strong when you are with the mayors of the finalist cities for the European Innovation Capital 2020 award.”, said Commissioner Gabriel. “I am pleased to award the title of the city of Leuven, Belgium, in recognition of its excellent innovative concepts, as well as the innovative models of administrative management that enable the realization of ideas.”
The prize of 1 million euros is funded under Horizon 2020 programme. It recognizes the excellent initiatives of European cities, providing opportunities to strengthen local innovation ecosystems for business development. The other five finalist cities will each receive EUR 100,000 for promoting and expanding their innovation practices.
The host is once again the Polish city of Lublin
The funds will go for upgrades, which in turn will impact public health positively and create jobs
“Mayor of the Year” is an important bridge between municipalities and the citizens and a chance to showcase and share regional governments' best practices
The winners are in four distinct categories, which explore the idea of heritage from different angles
It will test out the world’s first charging cabinet for electric bicycle batteries, enclosed garages, and real-time monitoring systems
Acquisition of a sorting line and waste digitalization fit into the city’s strategy for a circular economy
This is part of a focused effort to support intermodality in the city
Cigarette butts take 15 years to decompose and can contaminate up to 500 litres of water with their heavy chemicals
The funds will go for upgrades, which in turn will impact public health positively and create jobs
The winners are in four distinct categories, which explore the idea of heritage from different angles
The EUR 5 million, local authorities-targeted scheme aims to transform urban centres through public art, light installations and performance spaces
The Olympic Champions in Rhythmic Gymnastics attended the opening of the #BeActive initiative
An in-depth interview with the Head of the New European Bauhaus Unit at the European Commission
The awards recognized the variety of good practices and innovations found on the continent
The European Commission announced a host of new initiatives to support the growing movement, striving for a more sustainable and inclusive Europe
An in-depth interview with the Head of the New European Bauhaus Unit at the European Commission
An interview with the Mayor of Billund, Denmark
An interview with the mayor of Cannes (France) on the local approach to tackling the coronavirus crisis, the need for subsidiarity and more
