Nicosia will take centre stage in Turin this December as one of Europe’s three finalists for the European Rising Innovative City award, with the winner set to be announced at the prestigious iCapital Awards Ceremony during the Cities Innovate Summit on 4 December 2025.

The ceremony — hosted at OGR Torino and organised in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Innovation Council — will celebrate the continent’s most forward-thinking cities and officially “pass the torch” from Turin, the current European Capital of Innovation.

Nicosia will compete alongside Aalborg (Denmark) and San Sebastian (Spain) for the coveted title, which recognises emerging cities leading the way in fostering sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban innovation ecosystems. The award comes with a €500,000 prize for the winner and €50,000 for each runner-up, as well as entry into the European Innovation Council’s Prizes Alumni Network — a community of top urban innovation leaders across Europe.

The announcement of the finalists by the European Innovation Council followed an extensive evaluation process that included interviews with twelve semi-finalist cities. Nicosia’s candidacy stood out for its mission-driven approach to transforming the city from a divided capital into a connected, climate-smart, and socially cohesive urban ecosystem. The EIC highlighted Nicosia’s progress in integrating spatial planning, digital governance, and cultural regeneration into a long-term vision for sustainable development.

The proposal behind Nicosia’s nomination — “In Nicosia: Inclusive, Innovative, Integrated” — was developed by CYENS Centre of Excellence and EIT Community Hub Cyprus, led by the Nicosia Municipality and its European Affairs Office.

Styliani Petroudi, Director of Innovation at CYENS, described the distinction as evidence of Nicosia’s growing role as a “frontrunner in leveraging innovation to shape inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban ecosystems.”

Petroudi added that the next phase of work involves converting recognition into concrete action on the ground: activating networks, scaling technological and social solutions, and ensuring that innovation translates into broad civic impact.

For the Municipality, the European distinction reaffirms years of investment in digital services, smart city infrastructure, support for startups, and citizen-centric urban planning. In its official announcement, the Municipality emphasised that Nicosia is committed to evolving into a “modern, sustainable and innovative city that continuously invests in knowledge, technology and citizen participation.”

The Cities Innovate Summit — where the award will be announced — will bring together mayors, European officials, academics, policymakers, and innovation leaders for two days of high-level debates, workshops and city-to-city cooperation. The programme includes keynote speeches on Europe’s industrial and urban future, sessions on urban transitions, and site visits across Turin showcasing mobility innovation, post-industrial redevelopment, startup ecosystems, and community engagement.