Lisbon chosen as European Capital of Innovation 2023

This Monday, Lisbon was chosen as the European Capital of Innovation for 2023. This award is given by the European Commission, announced Mayor Carlos Moedas (PSD), considering that this award is recognition of the work done at the Unicorn Factory.

“We are the innovation capital of Europe! The European Commission has just announced the world’s largest innovation award. This is Lisbon! We won this award thanks to Fábrica de Unicórnios, thanks to the incredible work we have done in these two years,” said Carlos Moedas in a video posted on the social network X (formerly Twitter), after the ceremony announcing the winning city of the award, which took place in Marseille, in the south of France.

The mayor of Lisbon highlighted the work done in the first two years of the 2021-2025 mandate, which managed to attract “over 54 tech companies” and “12 unicorns” to the city. [empresas que atingem uma valorização de 1.000 milhões de dólares sem ter presença na bolsa].

With this award, which is the first time a Portuguese capital has received, Carlos Moedas noted that Lisbon can “invest even more, invest in innovations that change people’s lives,” pointing out that the Fábrica de Unicórnios will invest in “social innovation projects and the fight against exclusion, using technology as a social elevator”

“We are going to invest first and foremost in social innovation, so that innovation becomes the engine of social change, what we can do to make people’s lives better,” the mayor said, thanking the people of Lisbon for their work in innovation.

In addition to Lisbon, Lviv (Ukraine) and Warsaw (Poland) are the final candidate cities for the 2023 European Capital of Innovation title. This award has been awarded by the European Commission since 2014 to recognize the cities that best and best promote innovation in their respective communities.

In a statement, Lisbon City Council recalled that the Fábrica de Unicornios (Unicorn Factory) project formed the basis of the city’s candidacy for the award.

“This award also proves that we can and must be more ambitious. That we have what it takes to be the best. Today, thanks to the success of the Fábrica de Unicórnios, Lisbon has received the most prestigious award for a European city. is a source of pride for me as the highest official of the Municipality of Lisbon. But above all, it is a very strong sign of what we are capable of when we have ambition. This award was a dream that many considered impossible, but which today we bring to Lisbon,” confirmed Carlos Moedas, quoted in the statement.