At the 2026 European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, six projects that received European Union funding were awarded Regiostars prizes. This year a record 274 submissions were received and 25 projects reached the final round. The competition, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) since 2008, recognises investments that have delivered notable results in economic competitiveness, sustainability, infrastructure and social inclusion.
Winning projects and key facts
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AI Holopresence (Slovakia) — competitiveness and innovation
The project from eastern Slovakia uses generative artificial intelligence to create realistic three-dimensional human representations for virtual environments. The technology can be applied in industrial training, education and remote collaboration, and has already resulted in three patent applications.
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eLiRec (Germany, Saarland) — green transition
eLiRec is an electrochemical process for recovering lithium and other critical raw materials from spent batteries. The technique reduces the energy and chemical inputs compared with traditional processing methods and can contribute to securing raw material supply for the European battery industry.
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Alexandroupolis LNG terminal (Greece) — infrastructure
The Alexandroupolis project in Greece established a terminal with a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) that can open new gas import routes for Southeast and Central Europe. The investment aims to diversify energy supplies, reduce dependence on single suppliers and create new regional transport corridors.
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BROTHERS programme (Germany) — social inclusion
The German BROTHERS initiative works with young men through peer dialogue to prevent violence and promote gender equality. Participants discuss topics including migration, social roles and mutual respect.
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Renovation of Žďár nad Sázavou municipal library (Czech Republic) — local community development
The EU-funded refurbishment of the library in Žďár nad Sázavou (population c. 20,000) has transformed the facility into a community hub that hosts more than 900 events a year. Its activities range from early‑childhood reading programmes to artificial‑intelligence training courses for older residents.
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Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Northern Portugal) — public choice award
The Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre, a precision oncology research and care facility in Northern Portugal, won the audience prize. Through the project more than 1,500 patients gained access to advanced diagnostic tests, several hundred joined clinical trials, and the initiative produced 53 scientific publications and five international patents.
Decision process and ceremony
A jury of 15 European academics chose the award winners, and the public prize was decided by open online voting. The awards were presented during the Brussels ceremony as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities.
Why it matters
The Regiostars awards highlight practical responses to European challenges: digital education and remote collaboration, secure supply of critical raw materials, diversification of energy supply, violence prevention and strengthened local services. Many of the winning projects are already delivering measurable results such as patent applications, scientific outputs, increased service capacity and direct benefits for citizens.
The 2026 edition stood out for the high number of submissions (274) and the diverse set of winners spanning countries and sectors, from technological innovation to infrastructure and social inclusion.
