Turin named European Capital of Innovation 2024

For the first time, Turin has been awarded the title of European Capital of Innovation 2024 (iCapital), a prize celebrating European cities at the forefront of innovative solutions that benefit their citizens.

The announcement was made on November 13 in Lisbon, the city that won the award last year. The award was presented by Iliana Ivanova, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, to Turin’s Mayor Stefano Lo Russo on the main stage of the Web Summit, one of Europe’s premier events focused on innovation.

"Innovation is a powerful tool for creating fairer, more sustainable, and livable environments. Through new technologies and urban planning, we can improve both citizens' quality of life and public service levels by focusing on sustainability, energy efficiency, communication, and emergency management," commented Mayor Stefano Lo Russo.

This award is the result of teamwork and collaboration across the region, with the Innovation Center actively participating through various initiatives and programs.

Chiara Foglietta, Turin's Councilor for Innovation, emphasized, "Our city has demonstrated a comprehensive approach to experimentation and innovation, leveraging its rich history and ecosystem to tackle current and future urban challenges. The city has developed a range of innovative solutions, from smart city technologies to social innovation initiatives, with a particular focus on collaboration, inclusivity, and environmental issues."

The award was earned thanks to several key initiatives, such as the Turin City Lab platform, a municipal initiative supporting local companies in testing innovative solutions; CTE Next, a hub for emerging technologies; Turin's classification as a social impact city with numerous projects aimed at creating social impact; and its role as a zero-emission city for low-emission vehicle experimentation.

Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, which has been collaborating with the City of Turin, CTE Next, and other innovation ecosystem players such as the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, the University of Turin, and the Polytechnic University of Turin, celebrates the Turin Capital of Innovation award. This recognition also reflects the company’s commitment, in collaboration with its partners, to launch Italy's first startup acceleration program focused on smart mobility, smart cities, and, more recently, technologies for a changing world. Launched in 2020 with the American accelerator Techstars, and realized in partnership with the Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, the program aims to attract, accelerate, and invest in innovative startups that will make cities smarter.

Since 2023, the Innovation Center has hosted the "Turin Smart Destination" event in collaboration with CTE Next and the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.This event reviews the achievements and future prospects of the Turin ecosystem, underscoring Turin's recognition as an attractive hub for startups on an international level and earning it a spot among the top 100 emerging ecosystems in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report.

From the Techstars-managed program, now in its fifth year, numerous impacts have emerged, including startup attraction, open innovation opportunities for companies, skill-sharing initiatives, and projects directly benefiting the city.

The iCapital award, now in its tenth edition, recognizes cities that connect citizens with academia, the private sector, and public entities to improve the well-being of society, while simultaneously promoting innovation.

These cities have adopted measures to reshape their communities by embedding innovation into everyday life, from pioneering sustainability initiatives to promoting inclusive digital transformation. These cities demonstrate how innovation can drive systemic change and social progress. These are the same goals that Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center believes in and works toward: making technological innovation a driver for a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future for everyone, beginning with the region in which we operate.

Turin, selected over Espoo (Finland) and West Midlands (UK) in the ‘European Capital of Innovation’ category, will also receive €1 million.