Bangalore, 25th April 2026: The French Institute in India (IFI), in collaboration with the Alliance Française de Bangalore and Science Gallery Bengaluru, successfully concluded the Frugal Innovation Forum held on 24th and 25th April 2026. The two-day forum brought together innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from India and France to explore how doing more with less can power a sustainable and inclusive future.
Held under the umbrella of the Festival of Ideas and the India–France Year of Innovation 2026, the Forum was co-curated by Navi Radjou — globally recognised management thinker and author of the bestselling book Jugaad Innovation. Over two days, the Forum created a dynamic platform for exchange, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and highlighting how frugal innovation can respond to the complex challenges of a resource-constrained world.
“In a world increasingly shaped by resource scarcity and climate urgency, frugal ways of thinking should not be peripheral—they should be essential. Developing a deeper capacity to adapt, work with constraints, and find humane solutions requires deliberation across institutions, and cultures. The Frugal Innovation Forum, in initiating this dialogue, is creating an opportunity for exchange of ideas between France and India. At Science Gallery Bengaluru, we look forward to conversations about the role of art, science, and technology in innovation”
— Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director, Science Gallery Bengaluru
“The Frugal Innovation Forum reminds us that in a world marked by multiple crises, frugality combined with innovative thinking offers a compelling path forward. Beyond a simple showcase of solutions, it seeks to foster a constructive dialogue on how frugal innovation can drive positive change across sectors and societies. It is as forward-looking as it is grounded in practice. The diverse range of speakers, panelists, and moderators reflects this spirit—each of them a practitioner who has contributed meaningfully to change in their respective fields”
— Mr. Gregor Trumel, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of France in India
Why This Matters
The world is navigating a convergence of crises: climate pressure, tightening fiscal constraints, and the staggering resource costs of frontier AI. Conventional models of growth and innovation, built on the assumption of abundance, are straining under these realities. A different paradigm is overdue.
India has long been a laboratory for doing more with less. From the Honey Bee Network’s grassroots inventors to ISRO’s cost-defying space missions, from clay refrigerators to open-source digital public infrastructure reaching hundreds of millions, India’s frugal mindset is not a workaround. It is a competitive advantage.
France, too, is undergoing a quiet revolution. A growing low-tech and retro-tech movement is challenging the assumption that more complex always means more effective. Together, India and France have complementary strengths to build innovation models that are high in impact, low in resource use, and designed for a world of real constraints.
