The cities of Barcelona, Caceres, Chicago, Eindhoven, La Selva, Oeiras, Sant Cugat, Stockholm and Taipei, have joined Living Labs Global to announce the solutions selected to address major societal challenges. 11 winners, now invited to implement their solutions in the participating cities, were announced last night at an Award Ceremony held in Sant Cugat del Valles with participation of 150 international Mayors and business leaders.

A total of 317 entries were received for the Living Labs Global Showcase Award from 28 countries and 140 cities around the world and 11 Awards were given in nine categories; each presided by a partner city.

The evaluation process was carried out by 43 international jurors who have nominated 5 showcases for each category. The winners were announced at last night’s Award Ceremony, held at ESADE Creapolis in Sant Cugat (Spain) with participation of 150 international Mayors and business leaders from 50 cities in 15 countries.

Challenges put forward in the Showcase Award included new solutions to social inclusion, citizen participation, cultural engagement, water management and tourism. The Winners of the Living Labs Global Showcase Award are now invited to implement their solutions in the cities, to demonstrate their efficiency and offer an important opportunity for providers to enter new markets.

Living Labs Global is a non-profit association based in Copenhagen (Denmark) with the objective to promote innovation in services and mobility in cities. Cities in the Living Labs Global association represent about 100 million citizens across Europe, Asia and the United States, and are complemented by more than 290 innovative companies and institutions.

Sascha Haselmayer, General Director of Living Labs Global said: “Today’s ceremony marks an important milestone in making cities more attractive and innovative for more than 50% of the world’s population. Juries have rewarded not just excellent technologies, but the impact they will have on our societies and the smart business models behind them. Services in cities constitute an important global market, with more than 556.000 local governments generating more than spending more than 10% of global GDP on public services alone.” Further he pointed out that “For cities, this Award has been a process of exchanging knowledge, working with experts and receiving a global response to their needs. For the companies behind the winning solutions, the Living Labs Global Showcase Award offers an opportunity to enter new global markets.”