Athens walks away with innovation prize at Lisbon ceremony

Athens was awarded the European Capital of Innovation prize for 2018 for the innovative ways it has sought to improve the daily lives of its residents and to overcome social and economic challenges.

Among the initiatives promoted by City Hall, which secured the award for Athens, are the Polis project for revamping abandoned buildings in the center and the Curing the Limbo scheme, which brings refugees and migrants into contact with other city residents with the aim of teaching them Greek and employment skills.

The announcement was made at the Web Summit in Lisbon on Tuesday in the presence of Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis, who received the award and a cash prize of one million euros.

Five other cities – Toulouse in France, Hamburg in Germany, Leuven in Belgium, Umea in Sweden and Aarhus in Denmark – were awarded runner-up prizes of 100,000 euros.