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European Innovation Council

Second place: Dublin (Ireland)

The European Capital of Innovation category - second place: Dublin

Dublin is a champion for innovation; a city that promotes and facilitates the collaboration of diverse stakeholders and enables innovation ecosystems to prosper.

The severity of the impact of the financial crisis in 2008 was a catalyst for real change in Dublin, sparking new discussions and inspiring a new vision for the city. A vision based on; collaboration and partnership, agility and adaptability, and where innovation is fostered and scaled to meet real-world city challenges and deliver positive outcomes for the people of Dublin.

Today, this vision is realised through the Smart Dublin Programme, a city-wide programme facilitating almost 100 innovation projects and initiatives across the capital. Using the Quadruple Helix model, the Smart Dublin programme has brought together citizens, government, academia and industry, to facilitate the growth of an ecosystem that embraces diversity of thought and centres people at the core of innovation.

  • Smart Districts’ have been developed across the city in partnership with Dublin’s world-class research centres. These living labs facilitate experimentation, trialling and testing new solutions to local challenges.
  • Start-up hubs, such as Dogpatch Labs and The Digital Hub, support Dublin’s future industry leaders to grow and scale. While new procurement processes are implemented by the City Council to foster SME growth and transform public services.

Dublin’s strength is its unique open innovation ecosystem, comprised of civil society, start-ups, entrepreneurs, community groups, universities, research institutes, public bodies and many more,  collectively exploring new ways of working and new ways of thinking to make our city a better place to live, work, visit and play.