Grenoble named European Capital of Innovation 2026

The iCapital Award recognises cities that build strong, future-ready innovation ecosystems by bringing together research, industry, startups and public services to drive sustainable growth and impact.

At the Cities Innovate Summit on 4 December 2025, the European Commission announced the winners of the 11th edition of the European Capital of Innovation Award (iCapital), with Grenoble taking first place. This recognition highlights the strength of the city’s scientific and industrial landscape, including:

• Around 30,000 jobs in research and development

• Five major international scientific facilities

• The highest industrial job density in France

• The 7th densest deep tech ecosystem in the world, positioning Grenoble as a key hub for European industry

This achievement also reflects Grenoble’s long-term commitment to sustainable development and innovation. The city has previously been recognised as European Green Capital 2022 and received the European Energy Award 2024, demonstrating how sustainability and innovation can go hand in hand.

From deep tech to clean energy and from fundamental research to real-world industrial applications, ESRF – The European Synchrotron is proud to contribute to this thriving ecosystem—supporting breakthroughs across materials science, manufacturing, energy and health.

This recognition is also a strong signal of the region’s ability to turn scientific excellence into industrial value. By enabling companies to access cutting-edge synchrotron techniques, we support R&D and product development, boosting innovation from early-stage exploration to real-world deployment: locally within the Grenoble innovation ecosystem, nationally across France and beyond.

To learn more, read the European Commission's article and watch the official video. 

Text by Chiara Facoetti