Cluj-Napoca has often been thought of as being “different” than some other cities across Romania. It seems that the iCapital awards (European Capital of Innovation Award) are also taking notice of the way Cluj-Napoca stands out in this part of Europe. The title of European Capital of Innovation 2020, was awarded to the city of Leuven in Belgium, and the city was awarded €1M under Horizon 2020. The runner-up cities, of which Cluj-Napoca was included, alongside Espoo (Finland), Helsingborg (Sweden), Valencia (Spain) and Vienna (Austria) – received €100,000 each. But Why Cluj-Napoca? Well, Emil Boc, the mayor of Cluj-Napoca, might have something to do with it. The city has the highest absorption rate of European funds compared to any other city in Romania, however, this money is only awarded by EU, when it satisfies a number of criteria.