The purpose of the EkoSMART programme is to develop a smart city ecosystem with all the support mechanisms required for the efficient, optimised and gradual integration of various smart city areas into a unified and well connected system of value chains. The programme focuses on three key pillars for smart cities (health, active life and mobility) and is strategically linked with municipalities and other important smart city domains, such as energy, smart buildings, citizen involvement and engagement and smart communities. EkoSMART introduces a universal architecture for a smart city that is based on self-learning and self-optimising agents

which can find a common Nash equilibrium between heterogenous sources. This architecture allows for the realisation of smart city concepts such as interoperability, adaptability, self-configurability, open data, semantic interoperability and the integration of social capital. In economic terms, the vision of the EkoSMART programme is to enable Slovenian smart city innovations and products to enter the global market. This vision will be achieved through the following key approaches: the concentration of critical mass of knowledge and experience; a focus on the user; evolutionary development; and flexible architecture.

The EkoSMART programme differs from other initiatives in the following ways:

there is an emphasis on electronic and mobile health and mobility as the pillars of smart cities;

it introduces modular, selfconfigurable, self-optimising, flexible, adaptable and intelligent universal architecture;

there is an intensive focus on the development and implementation of new ICT methods and concepts such as the Internet of things and artificial intelligence for the continued development of technology and human society;

is based on a high-quality consortium of advanced partners, and is therefore also strategically linked to smart home and health programmes;

it puts strong emphasis on smart specialisation, i.e. the introduction of interconnected citizen, technology and market value chains.