Several cities have been cooperating in shaping our attitude towards Smart Cities as well as in creation of the document,  and we have also used some examples of already implemented projects in cities. When setting up the support mechanism, we relied on information from a questionnaire survey that we tried to reach as many places as possible. In our communication with cities, we plan to continue to acquire new themes as well as to improve the Ministry approach to Smart Cities, including

The Ministry has developed a support scheme to support pilot testing of innovative solutions in practice directly on the territory of the city and, with the help of active targeted counseling, to improve the managementof the transition towards administrative and fi nancially more demanding activities. In the framework of the pilot testing of the proposed support mechanism, 5 projects are to be supported, with the allocation for one project covering the costs of preparing a feasibility study of the solution and using a certain share of co-fi nancing of the Ministry resources and City resources for pilot testing in practice. We expect the launch of the pilot call in the 4th quarter of 2017.

The main reason why Slovakia should be involved in the Smart City process is that the market for Smart City services is constantly growing. This year, it is made up of $ 93.5 billion, with global growth expected to reach $ 225.5 billion by 2025. Small and medium-sized businesses will thus create a great deal of opportunity to develop their business. The ministry wants to respond to the global trends and to support the introduction of innovative solutions in Slovak cities, which can help not only their progressive development but also the support of small and medium-sized enterprises. Through the specifi c support mechanisms prepared by the Ministry, it will stimulate an emerging segment of the market for solutions in this area, with the added value of the projects to include a specific economic, social and technical aspect.

PROJECT SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY – The project is part of the national project of the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Development of Civil Society entitled Supporting Partnership and Dialogue in the Field of Participatory Creation of Public Policy which is financed by the operational programme Effective Public Administration. The specific output of the project will be an audit in line with the ADVANCE methodology, including an action plan and recommendations for sustainable urban mobility planning for Banská Bystrica.

We want towns and cities in Slovakia to be towns and cities for the people. This concept, known abroad as SMART Cities, defines a new approach to the management (control) of towns based on four priorities, namely investment in human and social capital, investing in transport and communication infrastructure, smart management of natural resources and a participatory approach.