Europe’s best: Aalborg wins major European Award

Aalborg has just been named Europe’s most innovative city.

This was announced by Aalborg Municipality in a press release.

The European Commission awarded the city the title European Rising Innovative City 2026 at this year’s European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital) in Turin.

The award is given to European cities that lead the way in developing sustainable, digital, and citizen-driven solutions for the challenges of the future. Aalborg is also the first Danish city ever to win an iCapital award.

Aalborg is recognized for its ability to turn visions into concrete results through close partnerships between businesses, research institutions, public actors, and citizens.

The jury particularly highlighted the city’s transformation from a former industrial metropolis to a European frontrunner in green transition, digital development, and citizen-driven innovation.

With the award comes €500,000, which can be used to accelerate Aalborg’s ongoing work on green and digital innovation projects.

Aalborg is helping shape Europe’s future

“Aalborg Municipality is not just part of Europe – we help shape it,” says Mayor Lasse Frimand Jensen.

“Once, Aalborg was known as the city of smoking chimneys. Today, advanced production stands alongside world-class research, a rich cultural life, green innovation, and a strong commitment to social inclusion and children’s rights.

We combine craftsmanship and high technology, industry and creativity. Not as opposites, but as a strong community. Aalborg Municipality shows that cities can develop without forgetting their roots. That is our strength.”

The municipality was praised by the jury for its experimental approach to urban development, strong collaboration between business, research, and civil society, and its ability to make innovation part of everyday life.

Projects such as the Norbis Park transformation, Stigsborg, the new space cluster, and Future Nursing Homes demonstrate how Aalborg combines green transition, digital development, and citizen engagement – using its industrial heritage as a foundation for sustainable future growth.

Where innovation becomes reality

“This is huge recognition of Aalborg’s position as a European leader in green and digital innovation. For investors and companies, it sends a clear signal: Aalborg is where ideas are tested, collaborations are formed, and innovation becomes reality,” adds Catharina Vinther Engqvist, Head of Foreign Direct Investment at Invest in Aalborg.

Allan Mørch, CEO and founder of the software company AskCody and Invest in Aalborg ambassador, is also excited about the award.

“I think the title is proof of Aalborg’s strength, our ability to transform, and the perseverance that characterizes the people who live and work here. Aalborg’s story can inspire many cities across Europe.

As a CEO and founder of a software company deeply rooted in Aalborg, I have personally experienced how the city has developed. Aalborg’s focus on sustainability and digitalization, combined with the university’s activity and strong infrastructure, provides a solid foundation for the future.

The title gives Aalborg strong European recognition and a mark of quality that we can actively use in the coming years. Congratulations to the city.”

A stronger European voice

With this award, Aalborg joins the exclusive iCapital Alumni Network – a European community of cities that together drive innovation, knowledge sharing, and sustainable development across borders.

“From the Aalborg Charter in 1994 to our role as an EU mentor city – and now as Europe’s most innovative city – we show that Aalborg dares to think new and act on it,” concludes Mayor Lasse Frimand Jensen.