On December 4th, Rotterdam was a finalist for the iCapital Awards, alongside Grenoble and Liverpool, in the competition for the best European Innovation Capital. Rotterdam proudly took second place, behind the winner, Grenoble.

Bold approach

The iCapital Awards is presented annually to the European city that best promotes innovation within its community. Rotterdam stood out for its bold approach to urban development, its strong community of startups and scale-ups, and its collaborative initiatives that bring together governments, businesses, and citizens to create shared solutions to global challenges.

Down-to-earth approach: rolling up our sleeves

Robert Simons, Alderman for Economics and Innovation, is proud of the honorable second place: “My congratulations to the French city of Grenoble. We’re heading home with a beautiful second place and see it as an encouragement for our policy. Our innovative approach aligns with the Rotterdam mentality: rolling up our sleeves, collaborating, and keeping up the pace in the important transitions that are needed. The city plays an essential role as a driver and facilitator. But this recognition is especially for all the entrepreneurs and partners who work hard every day on innovative and bold solutions for today’s challenges, in Rotterdam and across Europe. And we’ll keep going with renewed energy!”

Special thanks go to our local partners in this competition: Erasmus University, InnovationQuarter, and Rotterdam Partners. Together, we gave it our all to make this a success, and we did!

Transformation of former port areas

A great example of an innovative solution is the transformation of former port areas such as Merwe-Vierhavens and the RDM Campus into the Rotterdam Makers District. Here, entrepreneurs, the city, and knowledge institutions collaborate on a testing ground and showcase for the new economy. At the policy level, Rotterdam residents are actively involved through innovative initiatives such as the Citizen’s Climate Council and the CityLab010 program, which has supported more than 200 citizen and entrepreneur initiatives since 2016.

Scale-up event

Rotterdam continues to invest in advanced technologies, sustainable infrastructure, and social innovation projects. To increase the value creation of the knowledge, many ideas, and startups already present in the city, Rotterdam will participate again in Upstream, a festival in May where entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, executive services, interest groups, and citizens can meet.

Innovation Platform

Additionally, Rotterdam is building an innovation platform that connects initiatives across the city and enables parties to share information and best practices. Rotterdam is also making these insights available to other European cities to work truly mission-driven while balancing economic growth, social cohesion, and a just transition.

Interessted? For more information contact Yvonne Ramdin-Trip, y.ramdintrip@rotterdam.nl