{"id":1453,"date":"2020-09-24T16:40:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T16:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1453"},"modified":"2020-09-24T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T17:19:00","slug":"leuven-named-the-2020-european-capital-of-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1453\/leuven-named-the-2020-european-capital-of-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Leuven named the 2020 European capital of innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by\u00a0Freya Kirk<\/h5>\n

Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2020 European Capital of Innovation for its use of innovation to improve residents\u2019 lives.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The \u20ac1 million cash prize, which every year recognises cities\u2019\u00a0innovative solutions to social challenges that engage and empower its citizens<\/a>, was awarded to Leuven in a ceremony with\u00a0EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel\u00a0<\/strong>during the EU Research and Innovation Days in Brussels, Belgium, on 24 September.<\/p>\n

Speaking remotely at the digital awards ceremony, Mohamed Ridouani,\u00a0the mayor of Leuven said he was pleased to receive the prize and that he sees the city as a model that shows ‘the way forward for Europe.’<\/p>\n

\u2018We try to have just communities.\u00a0We try to have a just transition (towards climate neutrality),’ he said.<\/p>\n

A panel of independent experts named five runners-up: Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Espoo, Finland; Helsingborg, Sweden; Val\u00e8ncia, Spain; and Vienna, Austria. Each of these cities received a cash prize of \u20ac100,000.<\/p>\n

Winner:\u00a0Leuven, Belgium<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"The
The Belgian city of Leuven aims to become carbon-neutral by 2030. Image credit \u2013 Kai Tang\/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The city of Leuven in Belgium boasts one of the top-ranked universities in the world. A well-known research and technology hub, the city connects residents, city officials, researchers and entrepreneurs to innovate and put into practice solutions to today\u2019s challenges. These challenges include shifting to a circular economy, climate change and ensuring a high standard of education and health. Following the coronavirus crisis, Leuven aims to be equitable, sustainable, and co-owned.<\/p>\n

Networks such as\u00a0Leuven 2030<\/a>\u00a0and high-tech health network\u00a0Leuven MindGate<\/a>\u00a0are implementing various projects at the economic, social and environmental levels for the benefit of the residents. For example, in 2019, the Leuven 2030 network developed a\u00a0roadmap<\/a>\u00a0with 13 programs to a climate neutral future.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Cluj-Napoca, Romania<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"An
An installation on Cetatuia Hill in Cluj-Napoca enables a tactile experience of the city\u2019s panorama for blind people. Image credit – Radu Padurean, Cluj-Napoca CityHall Media team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Cluj-Napoca, has distinguished itself over the years to become one of the most important innovation hubs in Romania. With a vibrant start-up scene, the city earlier last year hosted the\u00a0Startup Europe Summit<\/a>\u00a0together with the European Commission.<\/p>\n

Cluj-Napoca launched an online platform,\u00a0Com\u2019On Cluj-Napoca<\/a>, to encourage young people to suggest group initiatives to improve community living in the city. These include the creation of\u00a0reading areas<\/a>\u00a0in public spaces, and a learning platform on the subject of\u00a0philosophy for children<\/a>. The initiatives are then voted on by residents and the 45 most popular receive funding from the city hall and local council.<\/p>\n

One project proposed through the platform by students from Onisifor Ghibu high school led to the installation of a tactile panorama of the historic centre. This allows blind or visually impaired people to experience the city.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Espoo, Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Espoo\u2019s
Espoo\u2019s GACHA autonomous bus is being tested with the help of a pilot 5G network. Image credit \u2013 Janne Ketola<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Finland\u2019s second largest city hosts the largest innovation and technology ecosystem in northern Europe, where it pilots CO2-emissions-slashing solutions and technologies. These innovations focus on making Espoo more sustainable and resilient against the effects of climate change and centre on clean energy for transport and to heat homes. Espoo aims to reach the\u00a0UN Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>\u00a0by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2030.<\/p>\n

Its experiments with mobility-as-a-service, which integrates different modes of transport for efficient, on-demand travel, has brought residents together for testing and feedback. Espoo is also\u00a0piloting its first all-weather self-driving bus<\/a>\u00a0with the collaboration of the local council, and Finnish companies Sensible4 and Nokia, in the hopes of launching self-driving buses there in the future.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Vienna, Austria<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"One-fifth
One-fifth of Vienna’s residents are under the age of 19. Image credit – Jorge Royan\/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Vienna, the capital of Austria, puts young people at the centre of its development strategy to improve the lives of its youngest residents. In 2019, the city launched a participation project,\u00a0Werkstadt junges Wien,\u00a0<\/a>with the involvement of more than 22,000 residents from the ages of four to 19.<\/p>\n

Participants in 1,309 workshops held with youth workers, educators and teachers were given the freedom to decide on priorities, giving young children a voice in local policies and activities. The input was reviewed by a social science institute that identified nine key topics for young people, such as leisure \u2013 including more playgrounds \u2013 and better opportunities in areas such as housing.<\/p>\n

From this work, the first\u00a0Children and Youth Strategy<\/a>, with one goal per topic and 193 specific measures, was adopted by Vienna City Council in June. With one-fifth of the city\u2019s population under the age of 19, the strategy is designed to benefit young people, their families and their communities.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Val\u00e8ncia, Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Val\u00e8ncia
Val\u00e8ncia is surrounded by an orchard that serves to supply fresh food markets and as the city’s green belt. Image credit – Jos\u00e9 Luis Iniesta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Val\u00e8ncia, Spain\u2019s third biggest city, has set itself missions with a singular aim: to improve the lives of the city\u2019s residents. Through its\u00a0Missions Val\u00e8ncia 2030<\/a>\u00a0strategy, the city aims to be sustainable, entrepreneurial, healthy and to improve collective welfare within the next decade. These changes could help eliminate energy poverty, combat loneliness and\u00a0reduce 90% of plastic and micro-plastic present in the sea, rivers and nature reserves<\/a>\u00a0surrounding the city.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the collaboration driving the mission to land on the moon in the 1960s and the EU\u2019s\u00a0upcoming 2021-2027 missions,<\/a>\u00a0Val\u00e8ncia hopes to involve actors from a range of sectors. At the end of the year, three missions will be selected by politicians and, in the first half of 2021, a further three by citizens.<\/p>\n

Val\u00e8ncia\u2019s mayor Joan Rib\u00f3<\/a>\u00a0has said that Missions Val\u00e8ncia 2030 will also be crucial for the post coronavirus crisis recovery and will prioritise investments in health, environment, education and employment.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Helsingborg, Sweden<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"The
The seaside walking path Strandpromenaden to the north of the city centre is home to sandy beaches and colourful flags. Image credit – Anna Alexander Olsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Helsingborg, one of the oldest cities in Sweden, sees investing in innovation as the way to face its recent challenges, such as a growing ageing and youth population in comparison to the number of people of working age, who pay tax.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the city launched its\u00a0H22 initiative<\/a>\u00a0with a nearly \u20ac25 million investment for a period of two years until 2022. This investment aims to help transform Helsingborg into a smart city that puts its residents and the planet first to improve quality of life.<\/p>\n

The city is creating welfare solutions driven by people\u2019s needs by working together with residents, academia and associations. Helsingborg\u2019s projects include a unique living scheme to reduce loneliness among elderly people and promote cross-generational integration with common rooms in\u00a0a shared apartment complex<\/a>, and the production of carbon-storing\u00a0biochar with garden waste<\/a>, among many others.<\/p>\n

Published by Horizon<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Freya Kirk Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2020 European Capital of Innovation for its use of innovation to improve residents\u2019 lives. The \u20ac1 million cash prize, which every year recognises cities\u2019\u00a0innovative solutions to social challenges that engage and empower its citizens, was awarded to Leuven in a ceremony with\u00a0EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel\u00a0during the EU … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-policy"],"yoast_head":"\nLeuven named the 2020 European capital of innovation - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1453\/leuven-named-the-2020-european-capital-of-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leuven named the 2020 European capital of innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by\u00a0Freya Kirk Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2020 European Capital of Innovation for its use of innovation to improve residents\u2019 lives. 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