The European Innovation Procurement Awards celebrate pioneering procurement initiatives that drive innovation and address key societal challenges across the European Union.
The prize is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)and funded under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme.
The winners, chosen by a jury of independent experts, were announced recently at the European Innovation Council Summit in Brussels. Each winning initiative is awarded €75,000 to further support their efforts in advancing innovation procurement, while the runners up in each category are rewarded with €50,000 (second place) and €25,000 (third place), respectively.
The results of this year’s competition are the following:
Innovation Procurement Initiative category
The winner in this category is 'CameraCar’. This initiative, led by the city of Prague’s fully owned company TSK, introduced an AI-driven technology to enhance parking zone monitoring. The project, awarded to the startup Iterait, deployed smart, camera-equipped cars to improve efficiency in monitoring parking and road conditions.
The AI system, capable of license plate recognition, parking violation detection, and road condition assessment, significantly reduced monitoring costs by half while improving the acceptance of evidence in enforcement processes. With the city of Prague now owning the technology and vehicles, the project ensures long-term flexibility and prevents vendor lock-in, setting a benchmark for smart urban management.
Runners-up
Joint POSIDON PCP (Italy and Spain): focused on decontaminating polluted land in Europe, specifically in Italy and Spain. It used pre-commercial procurement to develop new, more effective ways to remove petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals contamination from soil. The project set new standards for sustainable land restoration.
EMS LLS (the Netherlands): this initiative is expanding the smart electricity grid in Living Lab Scheveningen to reduce energy congestion. By integrating semi-autonomous control mechanisms, it improves energy forecasting, planning, and fair distribution.
Net zero industry procurement category
Meanwhile, in this category, the winner is 'CABRIO-TRIPTYCH' from Belgium, recognised for its outstanding contribution to addressing key challenges through innovative procurement solutions.
The project provides three key tools to make public construction projects more environmentally friendly and sustainable. They include circular selection criteria, a planning tool for local authorities to set and track sustainability goals, and technical specifications for circular materials.
H2Global (Germany): This project boosts the renewable hydrogen market with an innovative double-auction system. It bridges the gap between high production costs and market affordability.
Net Zero Persikan (Sweden): Showcasing a fully electric machinery pool at a development site in Stockholm, this project exemplifies emission-free groundworks. It provides a scalable model for municipalities to achieve net zero emissions.