Existence of minimizers and necessary conditions in set-valued optimization with equilibrium constraints

In this paper we study set-valued optimization problems with equilibrium constraints (SOPECs) described by parametric generalized equations in the form 0 ∈ G ( x ) + Q ( x ), where both G and Q are set-valued mappings between infinite-dimensional spaces. Such models particularly arise from certain optimization-related problems governed by set-valued variational inequalities and first-order optimality conditions in nondifferentiable programming. We establish general results on the existence of optimal solutions under appropriate assumptions of the Palais-Smale type and then derive necessary conditions for optimality in the models under consideration by using advanced tools of variational analysis and generalized differentiation.