The European Commission acknowledges the Donostia model, combining science, talent and citizen participation to drive innovation with social impact across the territory.
San Sebastián ha sido reconocida hoy en Turín como una de las ciudades europeas más innovadoras en los European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital), al obtener la segunda posición en la categoría Ciudad Innovadora Emergente 2026. Este reconocimiento, concedido por la Comisión Europea a través del European Innovation Council (EIC), sitúa a la ciudad entre las referencias europeas en innovación urbana, ciencia aplicada y colaboración público-privada.
The Mayor of San Sebastian, Jon Insausti, and Local Employment and Economy Councillor Ane Oyarbide collected the award during the ceremony at OGR Torino, as part of the Cities Innovate Summit and the Eurocities Economic Development Forum. As Jon Insausti pointed out, the recognition “confirms that our model works and reflects the results of years of commitment and effort that have helped Donostia move forward by focusing on talent and science, and by understanding innovation as a tool to improve the lives of its citizens. Donostia is a prosperous city thanks to innovation, and we continue looking to the future with projects such as the quantum computer, the proton therapy building, and the expansion of our crown jewel, the Miramon park. All of this strengthens confidence, stability and ambition to create new opportunities and high-quality jobs.”
Acknowledgement of San Sebastian’s innovation ecosystem
Through Fomento de San Sebastian, this year the city had its sights set on becoming Rising European Innovative Capital 2026, the highest recognition accorded by the European Innovation Council. Every year, the most advanced European cities submit their proposals for these awards, which highlight those successfully connecting citizens, businesses, academic institutions and administrations to drive transformative change.
The awards have two categories:
- European Capital of Innovation, aimed at cities with populations more than 250,000, with a prize of one million euros for the winner and 100,000 euros for each finalist.
- Rising European Innovative City, for cities with populations between 50,000 and 249,999, with a prize of half a million euros for the winner and 50,000 euros for each finalist.
Fomento San Sebastian submitted its candidacy in June in the latter category with the motto “Connecting for Impact”, a proposal demonstrating the city’s ability to unite science, talent, entrepreneurship, and citizen participation. The city was selected among all submissions as one of six semi-finalists. In September Fomento San Sebastian submitted the candidacy to a European Commission expert committee in collaboration with EKINN, the city’s innovation and entrepreneurship hub.
This year also marks the 11th anniversary of the iCapital awards, created in 2014. Over the years, cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Athens, Nantes, Leuven, Dortmund, Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole, Lisbon and Turin have won this award. In the rising category, recent winners include Vantaa, Haarlem, Linköping and Braga.
The European Commission noted San Sebastian’s ability to combine scientific excellence — in areas such as bioscience, quantum computing, and intelligent systems — with a strong civic culture and real-scale urban innovation projects.
Among others, San Sebastian secured specific recognition of:
- Its network of internationally renowned research and knowledge centres.
- Its model of participation and collaboration, assembling citizenry, the business sector, universities, technology agents and public authorities.
- Its commitment to impact-driven innovation, addressing real challenges in mobility, health, sustainability and social cohesion.
- Its capacity to generate and retain talent, especially young talent, fostering new business initiatives and value-added projects.
In the opinion of Local Employment and Economy Councillor Ane Oyarbide, “achieving this milestone confirms that we are doing our homework as a city of science, innovation, and urban development. We have built a robust ecosystem over many years -with public-private collaboration, research centres, entrepreneurs, and committed municipal policies -and we now see how this is bearing fruits that are acknowledged beyond our borders. This would not come about without the work and collaboration of all the people who have made this reality possible.”
The Managing Director of Fomento de San Sebastian, Iñigo Olaizola, wished to “thank the local innovation stakeholders who were involved in drawing up the proposal and in supporting the candidacy.” He also noted that “Being among the top three European Capitals of Innovation would help us give greater visibility to the local ecosystem, fostering new connections, collaboration, and projects to reinforce the city’s role as an innovation platform.”
Commitments representing opportunities for San Sebastian
The nomination as a finalist in the iCapital Awards reinforces San Sebastian's international visibility and opens new opportunities for cooperation and knowledge transfer with leading European cities.
San Sebastian strengthens its European leadership in innovation at the Cities Innovate Summit
The iCapital Awards Ceremony took place within the Cities Innovate Summit, a two-day European conference on urban innovation and competitiveness co-organised with the European Innovation Council (EIC) and EISMEA, in collaboration with Eurocities -the leading network of European cities, of which Fomento San Sebastian has been a member since 2008-.
On 3 December, Fomento San Sebastian took part in the panel “Attraction and retention: how to create liveable and attractive cities for talent and investment”, together with Amsterdam, Turin and Bologna, sharing the city’s perspective on building environments that support talent development and the creation of new economic opportunities.
That same day, the city assumed the presidency of the Eurocities Entrepreneurship and Innovation Working Group for the 2026–2027 period, with Espoo (Finland) and Nantes (France) serving as vice-chairs. Over this mandate, the group will work with 50 European cities to strengthen local innovation ecosystems, support start-up scalability, develop tools to attract and retain talent, and foster new spaces for inter-city collaboration. This presidency not only reinforces San Sebastian’s position at the European level but also expands opportunities for cooperation and knowledge transfer, consolidating the city’s role as an innovation hub.
On 4 December, the city formed part of the panel “Cities as Innovation Platforms: Emerging Functions, Evolving Governance and Alliances for Impact”, alongside Aalborg, Grenoble Alpes Métropole, Nicosia, Liverpool and Rotterdam.
Mayor Jon Insausti pointed out how the city is ensuring that scientific excellence “translates into tangible benefits for citizens, SMEs, and each neighbourhood.” He also homed in on the importance of integrating deep-tech capabilities with participatory processes to accelerate key transitions in sustainable mobility, citizens’ health, and environment-friendly urban models.
Institutional meetings and work agenda in Turin
The relationship between San Sebastián and Turin’s innovation ecosystem dates to 2017, with the European ECORIS3 project. Since then, both cities have consolidated a stable line of collaboration focused on the exchange of knowledge in talent development, innovative entrepreneurship and ecosystem building.
This June, Fomento de San Sebastian organised a corporate mission to Turin with the participation of the Donostia-based startups LINQ, NORMO, EKILABS, TREBE, NUAVIS, GOLDEN GAIT and ONENA MEDICINES—participants in the EKINN+ acceleration programme—together with representatives of the municipal company’s board. During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to learn first-hand about several of the city’s innovation hubs, such as OGR Torino, and was received at the City Hall by Deputy Mayor Michela Favaro.
Taking advantage of the awards ceremony, a bilateral meeting was held between the cities of Turin and San Sebastián, represented by the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Economy and Local Employment, and Fomento de San Sebastián. The agenda included:
- A working breakfast with representatives of the finalist cities, the European Commission, the City of Turin, the Piedmont Region, the EIC, EISMEA and Eurocities officials.
- An informal meeting with Turin’s Mayor Stefano Lo Russo, Deputy Mayor for Innovation Chiara Foglietta, and the Head of the Department of Energy Transition and Innovation, Fabrizzio Barbiero
San Sebastian’s presence in Turin has made it possible to strengthen alliances, open new avenues for European cooperation and position the city within the strategic conversation on the next generation of urban innovation policies in Europe.
A boost to continue transforming the city
This recognition provides a boost to continue advancing a people-centred innovation model which generates new economic opportunities, strengthens the business fabric, supports young talent, and improves standards of living.
San Sebastian will continue to work with all ecosystem stakeholders to consolidate a sustainable and competitive future connected to Europe.
“This award encourages us to keep building a city that innovates through collaboration, shares knowledge, and pursues an inclusive future brimming over with opportunities,” concluded San Sebastian’s Mayor Jon Insausti.