Emergence and Scale-up of Frugal Innovations: The Relevance of University-Industry Interaction

Darío Reyes Reina,Ariane Agnes Corradi,Márcia Siqueira Rapini

doi:10.4067/s0718-27242021000300003

Abstract

This article analyses the emergence and scale-up of frugal innovations supported by university-industry interactions in the Colombian context. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight researchers from the National University of Colombia, who participated in activities to transfer technology to society through frugal innovations. Results highlight the social role of the Colombian university and the motivations of the participating researchers to develop frugal innovations. Three benefits of the university-industry interaction to develop and upscale frugal innovations were identified and described: a) the exchange of specialised knowledge that helps to do incremental improvements on frugal innovations; b) the strengthening of distribution and marketing strategies of innovation, supporting its implementation in different contexts; and c) advantages in scaling up production. The relevance of these findings to understand frugal innovation processes and their implications for designing support services by university technology transfer offices are discussed.

Highlights

Frugal innovations have aroused great interest in recent years as an alternative for sustainable and social development in both emerging and economically developed countries
At the National University of Colombia, this approach is operationalised through the National Directorate of Extension, Innovation and Intellectual Property that concentrates the efforts of the extension and transfer of knowledge to other actors in society, the implementation of partnerships, the development of innovation and entrepreneurship activities aimed at solving national or international problems, and the management of intellectual property (Resolución 1221 de 2014, 2014)
A set of factors help to understand the emergence of multiple frugal innovations in the context of the National University of Colombia

Summary

Introduction

Frugal innovations have aroused great interest in recent years as an alternative for sustainable and social development in both emerging and economically developed countries. One major gap is related with examining the process that leads to frugal innovation outcomes (Koerich & Cancellier, 2019); another is the necessity of a deeper understanding about diffusion and commercialisation of frugal innovations (Hossain et al, 2016; Pisoni et al, 2018). It is often argued that synergies between different actors as local communities, government, non-governmental organisations, universities and industry helps innovation emergence and diffusion, but it is still opaque how these partnerships are made and what characteristics they have. This study analyses the emergence and scale-up of frugal innovations supported by university-industry (U-I) interactions in the Colombian context. A deeper analysis is made on the concept of frugal innovation and the relevance of the theoretical framework of U-I interaction channels in understanding the partnerships that drive frugal innovation. The qualitative methodology that guided the study and some general characteristics of the National University of Colombia are described

Methods

Results

Conclusion