Research at the Department

Research Projects

TEX-DAN – Moving forward with circularity in textile and fashion value chains
FOODIS – Cross-border ecosystem for innovation and sustainability in the value chains of the food sector
Resilient tourism
dTS - Data-driven Tourism for Sustainability
Circular Districts: Transforming Neighborhoods into a Climate-Neutral Circular Economy
Cyber Security and Resilience in Supply Chains for SMEs
CEFoodcycle: Mapping Food Streams and Identifying Potentials to Close the Food Cycle
Retailization 4.0 - Digitization of stationary trade
Liveable alpine region

Completed research projects

FFG: DeNaLog - Qualification Network - digitalization and e-commerce in sustainable goods logistics (2021-2023)

The goal of the FFG funding project "Qualification Network" was to impart knowledge and know-how in the areas of digitalization, e-commerce and sustainability to employees of freight logistics companies. In ten customized modules, insights from research and practice (best practice cases) were shared on the topics of "traffic framework conditions", "smart and green logistics", "last mile", "drive systems of the future", "the logistics professional 4.0" and "IT risk management".

Interreg: LOGNETZ (2020-2022)

Logistics value networks are complex structures consisting of independent corporate partners, the relationships between them and a large number of stakeholders. In order to be able to overview or optimize these networks in the context of global competition, it is necessary to obtain network data and to systematically evaluate and interpret them. The global market knows no national borders, and so value creation networks also extend across the entire Austria-Bavaria border region. So far, no cross-border competence network exists in this economic area, with the focus on the analysis and visualization of logistic value networks. This gap was closed by the project by establishing a competence network on this topics.

Provincial funding Salzburg 2019: Circular Economy: In search of circular innovations for the design of vacant first floor zones (2020-2022)

By reusing or repurposing existing resources, the circular economy reduces the consumption of raw materials and the emission of pollutants. This is also applicable to buildings, which can also be reused in this sense of a cycle. If one looks around the region of Salzburg in this respect, then commercially usable surfaces stand empty in the local centers of small and middle cities, particularly in the first floor zones. The aim of the project was therefore to create circular economy-based, innovative solution approaches and business models that are suitable for the use of public spaces and commercial areas in first floor zones. The project was carried out as a pilot project with the city of Hallein. Residents and businesses were actively involved in the circular economy innovation process.

Digital Innovation Hub West - SME contact point for digitization issues (2019-2022)

The Digital Innovation Hub West (DIH West) is a transnational cooperation between location agencies, interest groups and research institutions from Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. SME in western Austria are supported in their digital transformation by means of consulting sessions, coaching and continuing education offerings. The focus is on manufacturing companies and companies in tourism, trade and commerce. The activities of DIH West focus on information and consulting, continuing education, thematic networking of SME and research institutions in working groups, and the transfer of research results into standardized offerings such as guides, modular systems, etc. These offers are accompanied by individual coaching and support measures and access to infrastructure of the research institutions.

FTI 2017: Entrepreneurial resilience and collaborations in the use of digital marketing technologies - VR and AR (2019-2022)

Growing competition, new players and the introduction of digital technologies are shaping today's retail sector. The current market and competitive situation is increasingly pushing back small-scale retail. Small-structured retail must therefore deal with changing customer needs and technological developments and redefine its marketing. This research project therefore investigated whether the introduction of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as distribution and communication tools can make small-structured retail more resilient. Since networks play a crucial role for SMEs in terms of access to material and immaterial resources, the project also looked at the effects that networks and cooperations have on entrepreneurial resilience in the context of digitization.

Interreg: Attraktive Tourism (2019-2022)

Tourism is a key economic and prosperity factor for the project regions of Tyrol, Salzburg and Bavaria. Despite this positive impact and a promising future for the industry, hoteliers and restaurateurs are desperately looking for employees. The project therefore created a sustainable and cross-border network system, integrating a wide range of stakeholders in order to gain access to an innovative way of developing managers and employees through the use of modern teaching and learning methods. Different approaches were used to increase the attractiveness of tourism businesses as a place to work. All measures were aimed at increasing the attractiveness of tourism as an employer and improving the image of the tourism industry in order to create attractive jobs, especially in local tourism businesses, which will lead to longer-term employment relationships. Project partners are the FH Salzburg and FH Kufstein, Chiemgau Tourismus e.V. and the Standortagentur Tirol. In addition, numerous tourism associations and tourism schools support the project as associated partners.

Interreg: Quality tourism in alpine regions (2019-2021)

The aim of the project was to jointly develop strategies for the sustainable development of Alpine tourism to preserve natural and cultural habitats that are both supported by the tourism industry and accepted by the local population. Together with tourism destinations in Upper Austria (Wolfgangsee), Bavaria (Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden) and Salzburg (Wagrain-Kleinarl Tourismus), a cross-border model was developed with the aim of using natural and cultural habitats in tourism destinations in a resource-conserving and energy-efficient manner. The topic of mobility and transport had a special place in the project. The aim was to develop concrete recommendations and measures to alleviate traffic problems in the regions and to create incentive methods in the direction of sustainable mobility concepts. The results were presented and discussed at congresses in Wagrain-Kleinarl and Berchtesgaden in the fall of 2021.

Interreg: SMART - Small Museums Alliance Representing Territories (2019 - 2022)

The project promoted the culture of accessibility among tourism and cultural operators and the active participation of citizens in the valorization of local natural and cultural treasures. The three pilot sites (Valdagno, Resia and Saalfelden) were characterized from the beginning by small museums and significant cultural and landscape aspects. In addition, a fourth pilot site in the province of Bolzano - South Tyrol was identified during the course of the project. In the pilot sites, participative processes were carried out with local communities to prepare content and values that emphasize the specificity of the places. The content was presented through innovative means (technologies, narrative forms), enriching the existing museum offer (app for interactive visit, augmented reality, multimedia installations, thematic trails). The central theme was accessibility: thanks to multimodal design, the offer is accessible to all inclusive, one can choose and combine different forms of visitation - depending on ability, age or origin. Suitable also for people with motor, sensory, cognitive impairment. The pilot sites will eventually be linked to form a virtual museum tour. This enables the visit - also of special contents - from a distance and the later inclusion of further cultural institutions.

Interreg: CE Responsible: Empowering Social Business in Central Europe (2019-2022)

The project identified for-profit companies that would like to make their resources available to social entrepreneurs in Central Europe in order to establish a long-term collaboration while enhancing their own skills and entrepreneurial competencies to promote economic and social innovation. The idea of the project was to create a win-win situation for social and for-profit enterprises: The social enterprises gain the knowledge and expertise they need to be competitive, and the for-profit enterprises create a new business environment to expand their positive social impact. In this way, the project spurred positive change by helping companies build an ecosystem that fostered the implementation of social and sustainable business solutions across all sectors.

Provincial funding Salzburg - Tourism Promotion Fund: Academy of the Future Salzburg (2018-2019)


The goal of the project was to improve the professional qualifications of employees and entrepreneurs of tourism associations and businesses in the areas of online marketing, Internet marketing, product development and quality management. For this purpose, the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences organized on-site seminars for six participating tourism associations from the province of Salzburg on various topics in the field of eTourism (website, product & price design and quality management). In addition, employees of tourism associations were specialized and trained in the area of eTourism in a parallel "eCoach training", so that they can act as contact persons for the local businesses in the respective regions.

Provincial funding Salzburg: Digitalization at SMEs: Optimizing online sales through virtual reality (2017-2019)

The goal of the project was to analyze the optimal use of VR in comparison to classic online forms of presentation in the sale of products. The focus was on the form of product presentation and the use of interactions in online VR applications and their effect on the purchase intention. An optimal presentation of products by means of VR enables SMEs from the region to increasingly digitalize sales processes and make them competitive.

Interreg: WinHealth - Sustainable valorization of health tourism potentials in alpine winter tourism (2016-2019)

Winter tourism is an important economic factor for the regions in the program area. At the same time, it is one of the most vulnerable economic sectors due to the negative effects of climate change and is also confronted with changing customer needs. Alpine regions are thus faced with the challenge of developing innovative products to diversify the winter tourism offer. Health tourism offers a variety of strategic development opportunities. Due to the increasing interest in health tourism offers and sustainability, regional, authentic, innovative and medically useful products in health tourism were developed within the project. Subsequently, the knowledge gained was transferred to the participating regions in order to exploit the health tourism potential of alpine winter tourism.