On February 18, 2025, the Provost’s Lodge at King’s College, Cambridge set the stage for the 10th Anniversary of InnoFrugal, a conference dedicated to resourceful innovation—doing more with less. As Communications & Dissemination Manager for FRANCIS and Cofounder of InnoFrugal, I had the privilege of both organizing the event and moderating a panel session spotlighting our project’s open innovation successes.
Why InnoFrugal?
InnoFrugal has evolved from a modest gathering in Finland into a global forum that unites startups, academics, and investors—all passionate about maximizing impact through minimal resource use. This year’s focus on Frugal AI, climate finance, and impact investing could not have been a better fit for us at FRANCIS. Our project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, embodies the belief that citizen innovators can help solve pressing challenges in a frugal, sustainable way.
FRANCIS Panel Session
I had the honor of moderating our dedicated panel, featuring FRANCIS team members:
- Liza Wohlfart
- Gencer Ozkazman
- Hanna Saari
During the discussion, we delved into how open innovation challenges—especially those involving everyday citizens—can ignite practical, affordable solutions for communities everywhere. We shared real-world examples from our challenges spanning multiple continents that included a smart kitchen furniture solution, a travel aid for visually impaired people, and a platform for cultural experiences. Each example underscored the importance of collaboration between local citizens, scientific mentors, and industry coaches for effective, scalable outcomes.
Connecting FRANCIS with the InnoFrugal Community
Throughout the day, we had vibrant conversations with entrepreneurs, policy-makers, and academics who see frugal innovation as a critical driver of social and environmental impact. The response to FRANCIS was incredibly encouraging. Many attendees expressed interest in adapting our citizen-focused approach for their own organizations—whether in emerging markets, public-sector innovation, or even large-scale corporate CSR programs.
Networking Highlights
- Collaborative Brainstorming: A number of researchers and startups were eager to understand the citizen-driven challenges, seeing the FRANCIS model as a novel way to crowdsource fresh solutions.
- Potential Funding Paths: Impact investors in attendance asked about how best to support citizen innovators post-challenge, possibly bridging the gap between prototype and commercial viability.
Looking Ahead: FRANCIS’s Next Steps
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone at InnoFrugal for welcoming FRANCIS so warmly.
Special thanks to the InnoFrugal organizers and fellow panelists for making the day so memorable—and to all the curious attendees who dropped by our session, asked questions, or exchanged business cards. Your interest and energy keep the spark of frugal innovation alive.
If you’d like to learn more about the FRANCIS Project or are interested in launching your own citizen innovation challenge, feel free to reach out.
Let’s keep pushing boundaries together—doing more with less and inviting everyone, everywhere to join the innovation journey.
