The Annual FDI European Cities and Region of the Future competition has today declared that Doncaster has been awarded first place in the Small European Cities Of The Future 2022/23 – Fdi Strategy category.
As well as an assessment of an application form, The European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23 ranking also collected surveys from local investment promotion agencies for the FDI Strategy category. It is the only qualitative category in the otherwise data-driven study, and also feeds into the overall results.
fDi’s editor Jacopo Dettoni and four external judges from the investment promotion and FDI industry reviewed 75 survey submissions from cities across Europe. The Barcelona City Council won the judges’ favour as the best top city for its investment promotion strategy. Other award winners were:
- Antwerp, Belgium – large city category
- Vilnius, Lithuania – mid-sized city category
- Doncaster, UK – small city category
- Valmiera, Latvia – micro city category
Chris Dungworth, Head of Business Doncaster said, “I am delighted that the hard work and effort of Business Doncaster and Doncaster Council has been recognised in this way and shows that Doncaster is a tremendous place for businesses to invest and grow.”
Glyn Jones, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Business added, “It’s an extremely well-deserved accolade that Doncaster has been awarded Number 1 in the Small European Cities category for attracting overseas investment. Doncaster’s economic growth in recent years has been exceptional and we have adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic to support our businesses whist still assisting those looking to invest. Alongside this, Doncaster has also submitted a bid to officially become a city and we await the outcome of the award as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. What a fantastic double it would be.”
