Balkrishna C. Rao

Bio: Balkrishna C. Rao is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The author has contributed to research in topics: Combustion & Constitutive equation. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 6 publications receiving 22 citations.

The science underlying frugal innovations should not be frugal

Abstract: In recent years, frugal products of the grassroots and advanced types are being widely used due to their sustainable nature and also affordability. However, despite the origins of frugality at gras...

On the methodology for quantifying innovations

Abstract: Human ingenuity will play an ever-important role in this century and into the foreseeable future. This is because of phenomena such as globalization and climate-change that stress the need for more innovative output from developed countries. Such a picture has made it necessary to develop reliable models for quantifying innovations. The huge momentum behind the need for quantifying innovations is brought out by the research efforts of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United-States (US) government, which are at the forefront of the modeling activities required for this task. This effort describes some approaches, and the resulting models, for scoring individual innovations. Most of these approaches quantify innovations by considering their ensuing societal impact. In the course of this process, numerous variables have been identified that might have a significant influence from a scoring perspective. This work is the first portion of a research effort that addresses the theoretical background needed for quantifying innovations. The empirical results will follow up in a later work.

Scale up advanced frugal design principles

Abstract: To the Editor — A sustainable economy for a growing population must be climate-neutral but also frugal in resource consumption — raw materials, water and physical space. In this context, frugality means applying science and technology to design ‘simplified’ products that minimize the use of resources throughout their entire life cycle. A widespread diffusion of the principle of frugality in the design and redesign of products will help to reduce environmental degradation and safeguard the basic functions of the world’s ecosystems. The principle of frugality strives to achieve any possible reduction in material consumption through designing or redesigning a product, and considering its entire life cycle — including conception, production, application, recycling and disposal1,2. Different from traditional material-efficient design, which may lead to, for example, low-weight products, a systematic consideration of frugality leads to advanced products that are not only low in weight but possess novel features and superior performance such as reduced energy consumption or an extended lifetime. In principle, every product can be ‘frugalized’3. Frugal innovations tend to be tailored toward the needs of the less wealthy and involve lower costs of both purchase and operation4–6. Examples are zero energy consumption refrigerators, solar cooking stoves, or portable ultrasounds that help to improve healthcare in developing countries3. However, rigorous application of engineering design principles in each of the above examples has also promoted advances in science and technology, leading to advanced frugal innovations, in contrast to makeshift innovations that are also sometimes labelled frugal. Other sophisticated examples include a gravity-induced source of light and a table-top particle accelerator7. Due to material savings, frugal design leads to a better price–performance ratio and thus to lower prices than those of conventional and less-sustainable products. Such savings for producers and users alike should lead to fast diffusion. Paradoxically, frugal innovations still remain niche for many product families and their markets. The main issue is adjusting existing production lines in order to achieve frugality, often an expensive effort. Most commodities involve complex and often trust-based supplier relations, use specialized infrastructure, and draw on the skills of engineers, technicians and workers who have been trained for conventional product design8–10. Adapting infrastructure and value-chains to frugal design incurs substantial though mostly temporary transition costs, such as investment in fixed assets, or transaction and search costs to reshape supplier relations. Acquiring the necessary set of technical skills requires long-term commitment of engineering schools and companies alike. These transition costs can be alleviated by temporary financial policy support11 that provides the initial impetus for a frugal redesign of products and a reorganization of production (see Fig. 1). Measures should include public procurement of frugal products to demonstrate their feasibility and long-term cost effectiveness, and financial discounts on frugal products to trigger market demand12. Financial policy support is crucial because companies are often not able to bear the transition costs, and innovations originating outside of the corporate sphere, such as grassroots innovations, usually remain confined to the community they originated from13. Moreover, it is important to teach engineers, technicians and managers how to produce and sell frugal products. Only few university-level initiatives address the potential of frugal innovations and mostly concentrate on frugal low-cost solutions for the poor (for example, Tata Centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Extreme at Stanford University). To uncover the full potential of frugality as a design principle, frugality should become part of formal curricula in engineering and business programmes, akin to the increasing inclusion of circular economy in higher education14. Overall, mission-oriented innovation policies and a state-driven leverage effect11 as well as university-level efforts are essential to scale up frugal design principles across sectors. ❐

A new constitutive relation for simulating plastic flow involving continuous-shear or shear-localisation during metal cutting

Abstract: A new constitutive relation has been established by modifying Zerilli-Armstrong formulation whose performance is investigated in simulating continuous-shear and shear-localisation during or...

On complex systems of adaptive frugal products.

Abstract: Frugal products possess a proper mix of features including minimal consumption of resources, good functionality under nominal conditions and low cost. Therefore, increasing use of frugal products, ...

Metal Cutting Principles

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Knowledge transfer for frugal innovation: where do entrepreneurial universities stand?

Abstract: Frugal innovation has gained prominence based on its potential contribution to sustainable development and the new opportunities that it offers to low-income customers. This paper aims to analyse the strategic knowledge transfer practices implemented by an entrepreneurial university for fostering frugal innovations within an emerging economy.,This study adopted a case study methodological approach. The selected case was the University of Campinas (Unicamp), one of the leading universities in Brazil in terms of research quality and technology transfer. The study built upon 14 interviews with key informants and secondary sources of data (official and public documents).,The findings highlight the multidimensional dynamics of frugal innovations arising from university–industry relationships. Key dimensions considered include the internal capabilities of universities to foster frugal innovations and connect them to markets, the surrounding innovation ecosystems in which the university is embedded and the overarching institutional framework.,The analysis of strategic management practices for frugal innovation requires an evolutionary perspective, but the findings lacked sufficient longitudinal information for a formal evaluation. Also, as our empirical analysis is based on an in-depth case study of one university, further validation in other contexts would be necessary.,This study offers new insights regarding the effectiveness of university-business collaboration partnerships for developing frugal innovations in emerging economies. Policymakers should promote societal programs enhancing the active participation of all agents involved in the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. University managers should understand the challenges and the opportunities behind the adoption of an inclusive and societal orientation.,By adopting frugal innovation practices, universities can enhance their contribution of meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.,The literature on frugal innovation has emphasized the importance of networking between different types of firms, NGOs and governments, but the role of universities in frugal innovation remains mostly unexplored. This study addresses this gap by exploring how entrepreneurial universities participate in frugal innovations to meet societal challenges.

The role of public private partnerships in fostering innovation

Abstract: Despite the prevailing view in the studies on public private partnerships (PPPs) on the potentiality of PPP models for stimulating innovation, existing studies fail to provide a full understating o...

Dimensions of innovation potentials in small business based on Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award recipients

Abstract: Innovation is the driver for sustaining competitive advantage and growth. Innovation management is vital to small businesses, and requires clear plans, processes, and measures. This study examines key dimensions for innovation potential that can be utilized by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on an extensive literature review, eight dimensions pertaining to innovation potentials were identified. Each of the eight dimensions was assigned a set of symbols or codes. To ensure content validity, the codes were validated by utilizing the summary applications of 15 recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). In addition, the application summaries were used to verify dimensionality. Validated codes were the foundation for performing a computer-aided textual analysis (CATA) of 880 scholarly publications, the results of which were used to indicate the relative importance of each dimension. Also, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the relative contribution of each dimension to the total variability and suggested two meta-dimensions: “idea generation” and “marketing capabilities.” These meta-dimensions offer a foundation for developing a methodology for evaluating the innovation process and quantifying the risks involved in new projects.