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How can innovation benefit our democracies, our environment, and the development of our territories? These are the themes that will guide this day of exchange: from concrete workshops to inspiring talks, from the local level to Europe.

Momchil Sabev (EISMEA director), Audrey Guyomard (vice-president, Grenoble Alpes Métropole),Yassine Lakhnech (president, UGA) Claire Hédon (journalist and former Defender of Rights), Laurence Ruffin (Grenoble's Mayor and Grenoble Alpes Métropole vice-president), André Sobzack (General secretary, Eurocities), Michiel Scheffer (board president, EIC), Nicolas Fieulaine (PhD in Social Psychology)

Scalability is the key factor to strengthen EU region's productive fabric competitiveness both at local and global level. Through SKALE2CT Interreg Europe Project, public and private partners have worked together to improve their business acceleration services, especially on the scale-up phase. At this final conference, they will share the best practices, knowledge transfer and new tools developed through the project.

Villes du projet européen SKALE2CT + Nawu Diagnostic (start-up locale) + Francesca Doria (EISMEA)

Scalability is the key factor to strengthen EU region's productive fabric competitiveness both at local and global level. Through SKALE2CT Interreg Europe Project, public and private partners have worked together to improve their business acceleration services, especially on the scale-up phase. At this final conference, they will share the best practices, knowledge transfer and new tools developed through the project.

Villes du projet européen SKALE2CT + João Trabuco (technical director, Nawu Diagnostics) + Francesca Doria (EISMEA)

La chaire Prédict'Air est un projet de recherche scientifique et technologique reconnue mondialement basé à Grenoble qui vise à mesurer la qualité de l'air en se basant sur un nouvel indicateur sanitaire : le Potentiel Oxydant (PO) des particules caractérisant le stress oxydatif des différentes particules inhalées.

Gaëlle Uzu’s presentation will be followed by a theatrical performance by the Gravillon company. Following Point de bascule (Tipping Point), Barthélémy Champenois, a researcher and cyclist specialising in metascience, continues his epic journey, sounding the alarm on the urgent need to take action in the face of climate and environmental challenges. He hops back on his bicycle for an atmospheric adventure.

We find him with the wind in his hair or his nose buried in an exhaust pipe, encountering free radicals and other fine and not-so-fine particles.

Gaëlle Uzu (Research Director, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences UGA/CNRS/INRAE/IRD), Gilles Moreau, (Vice-Président of Grenoble Alpes Métropole), Gravillon Companie.

Our democracies face a paradox: never have there been so many tools for participation, and yet many citizens feel that decisions are being made without them. Democratic Social Infrastructures are the conditions, relationships, and structures that make it possible to genuinely and sustainably govern a plural and just society, going far beyond one-off consultations. Like a forest, a living democracy cannot be reduced to its visible structures: it depends on the health and organic interaction of all its different layers, from the soil to the mycelium, from the trunk to the canopy, from civic networks to the seeds that disseminate learning. In this interactive workshop, we will use a diagnostic tool to assess the state of the democratic infrastructures of our cities through five interdependent components, identify strengths and vulnerabilities, and imagine possible paths for improvement.

Carlotta Fontana (Practice expert, Net Zero Cities - Eu City Mission), Celine Bernigaud (Head of the Citizen Engagement Department, Grenoble-Alpes Métropole)

A time to define and characterize the concept of the commons, followed by a time of exploration: from common places to public places, come and create your map and shift the boundaries.

Olivier Jaspart (jurist and expert on the commons, Grenoble CCAS)

What if our future were collaborative? Discover how your contribution to knowledge helps build and transform society.
(Open to everyone, with no prerequisites.)

Magali Cros, (chargée de projets d'innovation publique, département isère) et la participation de la LPO - Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux

A tiny fraction… that’s what a territory’s greenhouse gas emissions represent compared to the planet as a whole. And yet, this is also the scale at which people feel they have the greatest capacity to act, because it is the most tangible.

All the more so as this summer’s heatwaves are reshuffling the cards: adapting, building protective measures… this happens at the local level, the scale of everyday life.

How can we reconcile these two ends of governance: local, grassroots engagement… and global impact, action at the systemic level, which is essential to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement? From the local level to Europe, cities have been recognised as Green Capitals, carrying solutions for the climate. What are their secrets, but also their challenges?

Polarisation of public debate, the multiplication of media and social networks, arguments that are more emotional than rational, an attention economy that fuels outrage, simplification and identity-driven posturing: the diagnosis of the (sad) state of democratic public debate is, at first glance, all too familiar. How can we address this issue with lucidity and competence? How can we act at the local and human scale within a globalised and digitised system?

This session aims to share analyses and—above all—first-hand experience and techniques for creating a safe, open space for reasoned discussion. In order to keep democratic dialogue alive and, dare we say it, even foster constructive disagreement.

Gilles Bastin (directeur adjoint, Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA), Jean-François Dubost (chargé de plaidoyer), Bastien Dalmasso (participation citoyenne, Grenoble Alpes Métropole) + Antoine Gonthier (Chargé de mission interpellation citoyenne, ville de Grenoble, chercheur associé PACTE), Emmanuel Chion (Directeur de la communication, Grenoble Alpes Metropole)

European sovereignty, a major priority identified by the European Commission, is not opposed to transition: it is one of its conditions. Like the Grenoble Alpes ecosystem, which brings together deeptech research, industrial start-ups and local governance, cities are the reactor where the transitions and the european autonomy are forged.

Michiel Scheffer (EIC board president), Philippe Wieczorek (director, MIAI), Laurence Ruffin (Grenoble's Mayor ang Grenoble Alpes Métropole vice-president), Ludovic Poupinet (deputy director, CEA), Finalist city

Saving water, changing the way we commute, eating better… it would be so good, and yet residents often struggle to make these changes. What if public administrations rethought their methods for supporting these changes?
Rotating workshops to discover the tools used by specialists in behavioural change.

Nicolas Fieulaine (PhD in Social Psychology), Sylvère Mercier (Head of sustainable practices, Lille), Elise Pupier (cofounder, association Climat d'écoute)

European cities increasingly face complex societal and operational challenges that require innovative, market ready solutions. The EIC Alumni Network Cities are going to demonstrate that collaboration between public buyers and innovative SMEs can accelerate the uptake of cutting edge technologies, strengthen procurement capabilities, and support more resilient urban systems.
To showcase this dynamic in practice, the proposed session will bring together three Alumni Network Cities acting as public buyers, alongside five EIC beneficiaries offering solutions that directly address the cities’ challenges. The session will highlight how cities collaborate within the alumni network, how they articulate their needs, and how they engage with innovators to co develop or procure impactful solutions.

To respect its environmental and industrial objectives, European reindustrialisation must be conducted in a way that leaves a minimal ecological footprint. This session will explore how researchers, industrial companies, local authorities and start-ups are collaborating at a local level to enable the industry to become more circular and carbon-neutral.

Karine Samuel (Desire4EU project),Eric Petit (President, MagREEsource), Peggy Zwolinski (G-Scop director, UGA/CNRS/Grenoble INP-UGA), André Sobzack (Eurocities general secretary), Finalist city A confirmer : Stellaria,

Historically, crises and democracy have not made good bedfellows. In times of turbulence, the social contract, the more or less explicit system specific to each society, which balances individuals’ rights in exchange for duties towards the collective, is called into question. The environmental and social crisis we are experiencing is no exception: it weakens trust between citizens/residents and institutions.

Talking about democratic innovation in this context is delicate, and yet, together with our speakers, we will look for promising signs, while also taking a clear-eyed look at the work that lies ahead and the challenges we need to address.

Claire Hédon (journalist and former Defender of Rights), Mathieu Saujot (Coordinator Lifestyles in Transition Initiative, IDDRI), Laurent Thoviste (Vice-Président, Grenoble Alpes Métropole)

Claire Hédon (journalist and former Defender of Rights), André Sobzack (Eurocities general secretary),Nicolas Fieulaine (PhD in Social Psychology), Momchil Sabev (EISMEA director)

Come and discover three local, innovative initiatives that are rethinking the way we produce, consume and transport goods. From sustainable food and short supply chains to bicycle-based urban logistics, this visit will provide an opportunity to meet three organisations from La Correspondance: L’Éléfàn, Au Bon Sens des Mets and SICKLO. A hands-on way to discover local projects and understand how innovation can address the challenges of the ecological transition.

Through Marbre d’ici, Grenoble Alpes Métropole is offering a genuine circular economy experiment. A participatory project centred around the artistic approach led by artist Stefan Shankland, it involves transforming demolition rubble into a new, high-value raw material with aesthetic and heritage value. The recycled concrete produced through Marbre d’ici can then be used to create artworks in various forms: flooring, street furniture, and more.

17h30–17h50: Oxidative potential: a new indicator for measuring air pollution (visit to the instruments on the roof of the Maison Climat Planète, followed by a visit to the laboratory) 18h00–18h30: Ice cores: archives for understanding climate change (visit to the glaciology laboratory)

What is so special about the ESRF’s X-rays that researchers travel from the other side of the world to benefit from a few hours of beam time in the Grenoble ring? At the interface between science and society, the ESRF invites you to discover this research instrument of international renown, used across all scientific disciplines.

Restoring the Perret Tower means bringing exceptional architectural heritage back to life. Built in 1925, closed to the public in 1960, and listed as a historic monument in 1998, the building has shown significant signs of concrete deterioration for several years, due to the corrosion of its steel reinforcement. To halt this process and restore the tower to its former glory, the City of Grenoble has undertaken an ambitious and innovative restoration project. Reopened a few months ago, come and visit this iconic landmark of the city of Grenoble.

All old?! To break the taboos surrounding ageing, combat ageism, and discover that growing older can also mean life choices, social life and a diversity of possibilities, visit the Cité Baya for older people and carers. This information, guidance, prevention and forward-looking centre is open to everyone. The visit will also be an opportunity to try out innovative tools exploring caregiving, freedom of choice and even end-of-life issues.

Guillaume Lissy (president, Grenoble Alpes Métropole), Momchil Sabev (EISMEA director), André Sobzack (Eurocities general secretary)

European Capital of Innovation Finalists Roundtable

Finalists cities