Ökosoziales Forum

What Ökosoziales Forum does

Ökosoziales Forum Österreich & Europa is a Vienna-based non-profit association (Verein) and independent policy think-tank founded in 1992 that promotes the ecosocial market economy concept across agriculture, forestry, bioeconomy, climate, and regional development. It serves as a convening platform for political decision-makers, academic researchers, agricultural and forestry businesses, and the general public, operating flagship programs including the annual Wintertagung conference (entering its 73rd edition in 2026, the largest agricultural information and discussion event in the DACH region), the biannual denk.stoff newspaper, the Ökosoziale Gemeindekompasse municipal guidance publications, the AgrarThinkTank expert network, the AgrarScouts ambassador program, and the 400+ partner Bioeconomy Austria network. The organization also runs project-based initiatives such as the 'Isst das jemand?' food waste campaign with Die Tafel Österreich and the EU-funded FEAST sustainable food systems project, and is supported by a 27-member board, a 9-member Scientific Advisory Board (established 2019), six regional forums across all Austrian provinces, plus student and pupil forums.

The underlying technology stack is commodity and non-proprietary: a WordPress-based multilingual website (via WPML) with Google Analytics, Vimeo and YouTube video integration, Zoom and Microsoft Teams for online events, Zoho CRM for member and campaign management, pretix for event ticketing, and Complianz for GDPR cookie compliance. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems, mobile apps, or APIs disclosed. The organization is led by President Stephan Pernkopf and Secretary General Hans Mayrhofer, with honorary presidents Josef Riegler, Franz Fischler, and Franz-Josef Radermacher providing institutional continuity.

Ökosoziales Forum is financed by a diversified mix of membership fees (from individuals, agricultural cooperatives, provinces, municipalities, universities, credit/insurance, and public administration), project-based funding (including EU and Bund/Länder subsidies tied to projects like FEAST and Bioeconomy Austria), voluntary donations, corporate sponsorships (e.g., BILLA as main Wintertagung sponsor), and sales of publications such as the denk.stoff newspaper subscription. Event ticket pricing is tiered (e.g., EUR 52 student, EUR 76 LFBIS-numbered farmers, EUR 124 standard) with VAT and catering included. As a non-profit, it does not generate profit distributions and has no parent company or external equity ownership.

Name

Ökosoziales Forum

Legal name

Ökosoziales Forum Österreich & Europa

Website

https://oekosozial.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ökosoziales Forum Österreich & Europa is a Vienna-based non-profit think-tank founded in 1992 that convenes politics, academia, agriculture, and the public to advance the ecosocial market economy through conferences (Wintertagung), publications, the Bioeconomy Austria network, and EU-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Think-Tank / Sustainable Agriculture Consultancy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture policy
• Ecosocial market economy
• Bioeconomy networking
• Rural development consulting
• Agricultural conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Osterreicher

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: The organization is financed by membership fees from individuals and organizations including private persons, interest groups, agricultural and forestry cooperatives, provinces, regions, municipalities, universities, legal entities of agriculture, credit and insurance industry, and public administration.
2. Project funding: Funding from project-based work, including EU projects like FEAST and Bioeconomy Austria, and support from Bund, Ländern and European Union.
3. Donations and sponsoring: Voluntary contributions and corporate sponsorships supporting the organization's work.
4. Sale of publications: Revenue from selling publications including the denk.stoff newspaper, brochures, fact sheets, and books. Free issues of reports and brochures are available, with the denk.stoff newspaper available by subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ökosoziales Forum operates as a think-tank and non-profit association that advances the ecosocial market economy model. It organizes the annual Wintertagung conference and specialized Fachtage events, publishes the denk.stoff newspaper, fact sheets, and policy papers, runs research and dialogue projects (Bioeconomy Austria, FEAST, 'Isst das jemand?'), and provides scientifically based policy consultancy to political, academic, and business stakeholders across Austria and Europe.

Product overview

Ökosoziales Forum operates as a think-tank implementing the ecosocial market economy model, functioning as both a knowledge platform and event organizer. The portfolio consists of the annual Wintertagung conference (72nd edition in 2025) as the flagship event, the denk.stoff newspaper publication, and the Ökosoziale Gemeindekompasse series for municipal guidance. Core programs include the AgrarScouts training and outreach initiative, the AgrarThinkTank expert network, and the Bioeconomy Austria network (400+ partners). Project-based offerings include the 'Isst das jemand?' food waste campaign with Die Tafel Österreich, the FEAST sustainable food systems EU project, and the Hans-Kudlich-Preis award. Educational products include the 'fragen säen. antworten ernten.' video series with AGES. The offering is complemented by the ernte.dank.festival harvest celebration, topic-focused newsletters, and regional Ecosocial Forums across Austrian provinces plus student and pupil forums. The organization structures its work around 13 action fields including agriculture, bioeconomy, regional development, intergenerational justice, resources and climate, and development policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wintertagung (Winter Conference) Annual multi-day agricultural information and discussion event with specialized tracks covering agricultural policy, vegetable/fruit/horticulture, arable farming, poultry, pig, and grassland/livestock farming. Aimed at policy makers, agricultural professionals, and industry stakeholders.
• denk.stoff (newspaper) Biannual newspaper publication covering sustainability, economy, agriculture, and environmental policy with themed issues on topics such as food security, future of work, crisis management, and sustainability labelling. Available by subscription.
• Ökosoziale Gemeindekompasse (Municipal Compasses) Publication series and tools providing guidance for municipalities on circular economy, bioeconomy, municipal energy transition, climate adaptation, and sustainable land management.
• AgrarScouts Training program that educates agricultural professionals to serve as ambassadors who conduct outreach at events and schools to explain modern farming practices to the broader public.
• AgrarThinkTank Expert network and think tank focused on agricultural policy issues, bringing together scientific and practical expertise to develop policy positions.
• Bioeconomy Austria Network Network project developing a bioeconomy network with over 400 partners, thematic hubs, and research/innovation initiatives across Europe. Phase 2025-2028 expanded focus from wood-based to broader bioeconomy topics.
• FEAST (EU Project) EU-funded project focused on sustainable food systems, organizing workshops and dialogues on food education and healthy nutrition.
• 'Isst das jemand?' Project Food waste reduction campaign run jointly with Die Tafel Österreich, using participatory dialogue formats and public awareness activities along the food value chain; reached over 100,000 people.
• Hans-Kudlich-Preis (Award) Annual award recognizing special achievements in rural development and agriculture, awarded to innovative contributors in the field.
• fragen säen. antworten ernten. (Video Series) Educational short film series providing insights into modern agriculture, plant protection, climate protection contributions, and the role of livestock, produced in cooperation with AGES.
• ernte.dank.festival (Harvest Thanks Festival) Annual harvest festival celebrating Austrian agriculture, connecting rural producers with urban consumers at Vienna's Heldenplatz.
• Thematic Newsletter Subscriptions Subscription service delivering themed newsletters covering agriculture, forestry, education, bioeconomy, nutrition, women, society, rural areas, social issues, environment, and economy.
• Scientific Policy Consultancy Services Provides scientifically based consultancy services for political decision-makers at regional, national, and European levels, serving as a platform for debate among politics, academia, business, and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Food waste campaign 'Isst das jemand?' reached over 100,000 people in Austria
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bioeconomy Austria NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025The Ecosocial Forum co-founded Bioeconomy Austria with nine additional project partners, building a network of over 400 partners. The project developed thematic hubs, a joint brand, and research/innovation projects. The association was officially established to sustain and strengthen this development. The new phase (2025-2028) expands from wood-based to broader bioeconomy topics.
• Die Tafel ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Joint project 'Isst das jemand? Gemeinsam gegen Lebensmittelverschwendung!' (Does anyone eat this? Together against food waste!) aimed at raising public awareness about food waste. The project ran for nearly two years and reached over 100,000 people through events in Vienna and Innsbruck, partner events, and educational workshops. Both organizations collaborated on dialog formats with stakeholders along the food value chain.
• AGES (Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on short films about modern agriculture, plant protection, and climate protection. The videos explain topics like plant protection importance, food safety testing, agricultural innovation for climate protection, and the role of ruminants in climate change.
• HBLFA Raumberg-GumpensteinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for Fachtag Grünland- und Viehwirtschaft event. The Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute serves as venue and collaborates on agricultural science presentations and farm excursions.
• Wintertagung Sponsors (BILLA, AMA, OnFarming, BML)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor BILLA and supporting sponsors AMA (Agrarmarkt Austria), OnFarming, and BML (Federal Ministry for Agriculture) support the annual Wintertagung event through financial sponsorship and promotional support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Umweltbundesamt (Environment Agency Austria): Austrian federal agency providing expert analysis on environment, climate, and sustainability policy. Comparable as an Austrian policy knowledge provider operating at the intersection of agriculture, climate, and bioeconomy — areas central to Ökosoziales Forum's mission.
• ifo Institute: One of Germany's most prominent economic research institutes, providing policy advice and publishing indexes widely cited in German-speaking economic policy. Directly comparable as a DACH think-tank delivering evidence-based economic and sustainability policy recommendations to public and corporate stakeholders.
• Club of Rome: Global think-tank focused on sustainable development and systemic change, with strong DACH connections through honorary president Franz-Josef Radermacher. Directly comparable as a multi-stakeholder sustainability think-tank publishing influential policy thought leadership on ecological and economic transformation.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based independent think-tank producing policy analysis and convening stakeholders on EU policy. Comparable as a European policy think-tank that engages policymakers, academia, and business on sustainability, agriculture, and economic governance — directly relevant to Ökosoziales Forum's EU-level ambitions.
• Deutscher Bauernverband (German Farmers' Association): Germany's central agricultural lobby and association, representing farmers and convening sector events. Comparable as a DACH agricultural stakeholder organization that organizes major events, publishes sector content, and shapes policy debate on agriculture and rural development.
• WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research): Austria's leading economic research institute providing evidence-based policy analysis. Directly comparable as an Austrian policy think-tank that influences national economic and agricultural policy discussions, and Ökosoziales Forum's Scientific Advisory Board includes WIFO economists.
• Agora Energiewende: German think-tank focused on energy transition and climate policy, producing evidence-based analysis and convening policymakers. Comparable as a DACH-based independent think-tank translating climate and sustainability research into actionable policy advice for European decision-makers.

Emerging players

• European Forest Institute (EFI): European research organization supporting forest-related policy and bioeconomy. Comparable as an EU-focused research and convening organization active in the bioeconomy space where Ökosoziales Forum leads Bioeconomy Austria, with partial thematic overlap in forestry and sustainable resource policy.

Broad incumbents

• Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU): One of Germany's largest environmental associations with hundreds of thousands of members, operating across nature conservation, climate, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a much larger DACH membership-based association driving environmental policy debate and convening stakeholders on sustainability issues.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens, operating extensive programs on ecology, democracy, and sustainability. Comparable as a larger, broader incumbent in the German-speaking sustainability policy ecosystem that combines policy research, events, and publications — but at much larger scale and broader remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Oekosozial1
• Facebookfacebook.com/oekosozialesforum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oekosoziales-forum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ökosoziales Forum