The ceremony, which took place in Marseille, France recognised Cork city for its innovation ecosystem and how successful stakeholders such as Cork City Council, UCC, MTU, Tyndall and Cork BIC interact and create impact.

Originally shortlisted from among thirty entrants, Cork’s bid led by the City Council progressed to the final, ultimately placing behind winner Linkoping in Sweden and Padova in Italy.

Cork city has also been awarded a prize of €50,000 which will support continued efforts to foster systemic innovation in the Cork region.

The judge panelling commended Cork as Ireland’s second city, as a place that does not settle for second-best, nor necessarily for the status quo, but instead seeks to disruptively explore what’s possible.

Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Mick Finn accepted the award and acknowledge this huge achievement.

‘’We are delighted with this recognition on behalf of our residents and all the organisations, public, academic, private and community that work collectively providing a real testbed for innovation in Cork,” he said.

“Cork is stepping up to the most critical global societal challenges of our time, namely climate change, by showing leadership as one of the designated cities selected to drive the EU Mission for one hundred Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.

We will only succeed if we have citywide buy-in to both co-design and deliver on a truly shared vision of a sustainable and equitable future for Cork and its residents,” he added.

The ‘iCapital’ awards are an annual celebration of the European cities that best promote and shape innovation locally.