On 27 and 28 March 2025, Eva Lienbacher and Anna Schliesselberger from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences took part in the New Institutionalism Workshop in Salzburg. There they presented their conference paper ‘Platforms as Institutional Architects: The Role of Food Waste Recovery Multi-Sided Platforms in the Transformation of the Food System,’ which was developed as part of the CEFoodCycle research project and in cooperation with Christine Vallaster and Simon Oertel from the University of Salzburg.
The conference paper examines the role of platform companies that trade or redistribute food waste or surpluses. It focuses on so-called multi-sided platforms, which connect different groups of actors and thus have not only economic but also social and ecological effects. The focus was on the question of how such platforms act as ‘institutional architects’, changing existing structures in the food system and establishing new practices.
Participation in the workshop provided an opportunity to present the research in an international, interdisciplinary environment and to receive valuable feedback from colleagues. The lively discussions provided important impetus for the further development of the study and strengthened the professional exchange with researchers from both Austria and abroad.
Special thanks go to the organisers of this year’s New Institutionalism Workshop at the University of Salzburg for the successful event and the opportunity to discuss current research topics in an open, inspiring setting.
