The European Capital of Innovation Award iCapital Category HORIZON-EIC-2026-ICAPITAL

The European Capital of Innovation Awards are a prestigious European prize that champions inspiring cases of municipality-enabled innovation flourishing in cities. It recognises city administrators who promote innovation by experimenting with their governance practices, supporting innovation ecosystems, and driving transformative change for the benefit of citizens. The award aims to raise the profile of cities that have developed and implemented innovative policies and frameworks, enhanced city attractiveness, helped connect with and learn from other cities, involved citizens in decision-making, and increased cities' resilience. The award provides a monetary reward and significant visibility to winning cities as role models in municipal innovation.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Government organization
Start date	5 May 2026
End date	4 Aug 2026
Max funding	For the European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) category: up to EUR 1,000,000 awarded to the 1st ranked city, with additional prizes of at least EUR 100,000 each for the 2nd and 3rd ranked cities (exact distribution may vary by year)., For the European Rising Innovative City category: up to EUR 500,000 for 1st place, with additional prizes of at least EUR 50,000 each for the 2nd and 3rd ranked cities.
Budget	Total indicative budget for the iCapital award (2026): EUR 1,800,000 Total indicative budget for the Rising Innovative City category (2026): EUR 1,800,000
Coverage	Prizes awarded as fixed lump sums; not direct reimbursement of costs.

Grant application conditions

Eligible Applicants	The candidate must be a city (Local Administrative Unit or group of LAUs with majority urban population) located in an EU Member State or Associated Country to Horizon Europe.
Population Requirement (iCapital category)	Minimum population of 250,000 inhabitants. If no such city exists in a country, the city with the largest population above 50,000 may apply, provided it is not also applying for the European Rising Innovative City category.
Population Requirement (Rising Innovative City category)	Cities with population between 50,000 and 249,999 inhabitants. In countries without such cities, the largest city may apply.
Legal Requirements for Applicant	Only the city as a legal entity is eligible; legal entities separate from cities (even if owned or funded by cities) cannot apply. Joint applications by groups of applicants are not allowed.
Previous Award Exclusion	Winners of previous editions of the European Capital of Innovation Award, and runners-up of the current 2026 edition, are not eligible. This does not apply to previous finalists.
Double Funding Exclusion	Applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize for the same activities cannot receive a second prize.
Application Requirements	Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal before 4 August 2026, 17:00 CET. Submissions must use the designated forms, be complete and include all required annexes and supporting documents, including a specific endorsement signed by the city Mayor or equivalent (max 2 pages). Maximum 30 pages for Part B (technical description). Additional pages will not be considered.
Language and Format	Applications must be readable, accessible, and printable in the formats prescribed by the portal.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-ICAPITAL-01

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Application requirements