What We Do
What is ‘Frugal Engineering’?
The term “frugal engineering’ is specifc to the field and refers to the practice of designing and developing
high-quality products or solutions with limited resources. It emphasizes simplicity, affordability, and adaptability,
often using locally available materials and technologies to address pressing challenges in resource-constrained
environments. This approach often involves reimagining traditional design principles and repurposing existing technologies to create innovative solutions. “Frugal” does not mean sub-standard - it means creating solutions that respect the strengths and limitations of the people and the places they’re serving – including being relatively inexpensive to build, use and fix.
Frugal Biomedical Innovations is a multi-disciplinary initiative established to facilitate co-design, development and deployment of innovative medical technologies that improve healthcare access for patients in remote and low-resource contexts. The FBIP harnesses the principles of “frugal innovation” to accelerate research and education focused on frugal biomedical innovations that serve communities that need it most. The group harnesses the principles of “frugal innovation” to accelerate research and education focused on frugal biomedical innovations that serve communities that need it most. This is made possible through the program’s three major pillars:
1. Education
Enriching student experiential learning through practical training in frugal medical device design, prototyping and deployment in partner communities; providing a valuable competitive advantage for career advancement in the medical device industry.
2. Technology Development
Supporting advancement of frugal biomedical innovation to accelerate development and testing of prototypes for implementation and commercialization.
3. Implementation
Providing resources to help researchers understand healthcare needs in relevant contexts, develop partnerships with multinational medical device companies and cultivate linkages with teams in remote and low-resource settings to scale innovations.
