New multi-actor organizational forms structuring design processes in territorialized innovation dynamics: towards a research agenda.

Organizers: Marianne Cerf, Quentin Toffolini

25 August afternoon and 26 August morning, Palaiseau.

This Side Event will focus on multi-stakeholder forms of organisation which promote in situ experimentation and collaborative innovation in order to address the challenges linked to the development of sustainable food systems at various territorial scales. Many of these forms are now increasingly established as part of collaborative research projects, but we also propose to look at situations where they are more or less institutionalized as permanent multi-actor arrangements, which are not always initiated with or by academics (such as third places, regional Agroecosystem Living Labs, innovation platforms, on-farm experimentation networks, etc.). 

The seminar will be resolutely interdisciplinary, bringing together contributions from the agricultural, animal and social sciences in order to promote collective reflection in order to build a research agenda around the following questions: 
•    The contribution of these new organisational forms and their governance to strengthening collective design capacities in the service of transitions in agri-food systems towards sustainability and their relocation; 
•    The way in which digital technology constitutes a resource for stakeholders (to collaborate in the dynamics at work, to contribute to the solutions put forward and implemented). 

•    Authors are invited to send a first summary of their contribution by 30 April (~600 words) 
•    A selection of proposals for the writing of a more developed text (6000 words) will be made by a committee composed of scientists working on the themes at the heart of the discussions planned in the seminar and feedback will be given to those who have proposed cases on 15 May. Those who have been asked to develop their abstracts are expected to submit their full papers by 15 June.

During this side event, most of the time will be devoted to discussion and debate between the participants based on their current experiences. We welcome participants who have not yet finalized results but wish to reflect upon their first findings or their way to be involved in multi-actors design processes to support transition in agri-food systems towards sustainability. We also welcome contributions which have already been submitted to the FSD conference but whose authors would like to take part to the side event in order to develop insights on some of the topics addressed in the side event. The final contributions can therefore be working papers rather than finalized ones. Financial support may be available on request, please contact the organisers.

For more information, please read this document 

Contributions to be sent to: Quentin Toffolini and  Thibault Lefeuvre