On 6 October 2025, Maria Alejandra Pineda Escobar will defend her PhD thesis investigating the relevance of contextual considerations for the study of frugal innovation.
- PhD student
- Date
- Monday 6 Oct 2025, 16:00 - 17:30
- Type
- PhD defence
- Spoken Language
- English
- Room
- Aula B
- Location
- International Institute of Social Studies
Maria Alejandra Pineda Escobar argues that the core aim of frugal innovation is to provide affordable, simple and good performing solutions for un(der)served users in resource-constrained environments.
Yet while frugal products, services, processes and business models do have the potential to contribute to sustainable development, Pineda Escobar also argues that frugal innovations are not inherently sustainable. She maintains that an adequate consideration of local contextual conditions is essential in assessing frugal innovation to make it more responsive and appropriate for its intended users and their lived reality.
Download the abstracts
Doctoral Board
Chair
Doctoral dissertation supervisors
Full Doctoral Committee
- Professor Soumodip Sarkar, University of Évora
- Dr Marleen Wierenga, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Dr Stelvia Matos, University of Surrey
- Dr Taslim Alade, Rotterdam School of Management
- Professor Irene van Staveren, ISS
- More information
The Public Defence will take place on Monday, 6 October 2025 in the ISS auditorium (Aula B) and the ceremony will begin promptly at 16:00 hrs. The doors will be closed at the start of the Public Defence.
Children below the age of 7 are not allowed in the auditorium during the first part of the ceremony.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the Atrium of the ISS.
Professors are invited to join the academic procession.
- Related links
- ISS PhD programme
