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Department of Statistics

The "AI instead of Waste" project wins the EDIH Network Award for Excellence 2026

© European Digital Innovation Hubs Network
EDIH Network Award for Excellence 2026
At the heart of the project is a specific challenge posed by Stattküche GmbH, a company that supplies freshly prepared lunches to schools and preschools. A portion of pre-ordered meals goes unclaimed because cancellations are made too late or are simply forgotten, leading to food waste.

The project transformed Stattküche’s operational challenge into an AI-based forecasting approach that helps predict expected cancellations more accurately. The approach was developed by Dr. Ina Dormuth under the supervision of Prof. Markus Pauly in close collaboration with Stattküche’s domain experts and as part of the EDIH-DO project partnership involving TU Dortmund University and the Centrum für Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET).

To the Press Release