The European Capital of Innovation Award Rising Innovator Category HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-ICAPITAL

The European Capital of Innovation Awards champion inspiring cases of municipality-enabled innovation in cities. The Awards honour city administrators who embrace innovation, act as role models, and use technology to benefit citizens. This prestigious European prize recognises and gives visibility to cities that introduce new policies, boost breakthrough innovation, create frameworks to attract talent and investment, foster citizen involvement in decision-making, and promote the replication of innovative practices across Europe. The initiative supports cities' resilience and capacity to stimulate growth and address challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, and social cohesion.

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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	First Prize (Rising Innovator category): up to 500,000 EUR for 1st place city, 50,000 EUR for runners-up (places 2 and 3)., Three prizes will be awarded in total in this category: 1 prize of up to 500,000 EUR and 2 prizes of up to 50,000 EUR each.
Budget	1,800,000 EUR for the Rising Innovator category in 2026.
Coverage	Recognition prize; funds awarded as a lump sum and are not intended to co-finance expenses, but as a recognition of achievement.

Grant application conditions

Eligible Participants	Applicant must be a city (Local Administrative Unit or group of units with a majority of the population in an urban centre of at least 50,000 inhabitants), located in an EU Member State or in an Associated Country to Horizon Europe.
Population Criteria	City must have a population between 50,000 and 249,999 inhabitants. If no such city exists in a country, the largest city by population may apply.
Legal Representation	Application must be endorsed and signed by the city Mayor or equivalent highest political representative.
Single Applicant Only	Joint applications by a group of applicants are not accepted.
Previous Winners Exclusion	Winners of former European Capital of Innovation Awards editions, as well as runners-up of the 2026 edition, are not eligible for this category.
Double Funding Exclusion	Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.
Submission Requirements	Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applications must include Part A (administrative data), Part B (technical description), and a mandatory endorsement letter signed by the city Mayor or equivalent. Applications must be written in the provided forms, be complete and contain all annexes and supporting documents. Applications are limited to a maximum of 30 pages in Part B.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-ICAPITAL-02

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