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Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development

Minor

African Studies Centre

N.B. This is a selection minor! Applications close 14 April 2022 at 13:00hrs!

Leiden-Delft-Rotterdam (LDE) Minor Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development, 2022-2023

Frugal innovation is about innovation processes that take account of and aim to overcome resource constraints in communities and societies. Think of societies or communities where poverty prevails and/or settings of overexploitation of resources, which leads to environmental degradation and climate change. Frugal innovations aim to optimised performance in combination with reduced use of resources whilst maintaining and/or improving functionality and affordability. Academics and policy makers increasingly see frugal innovation as a promising way to overcome global constraints in, for example, access to health, energy, water, and food. And more generally, frugal innovation is ascribed potential to contribute to global societal challenges and themes such as sustainability, inclusion and poverty reduction.

In the minor you will critically examine the widely acclaimed potential of frugal innovation to contribute to processes of local and global sustainable transformation to the benefit of people, planet and prosperity. In this multidisciplinary minor you will become familiar with current academic and policy debates on frugal innovation. Through literature studies, class tutorials, discussions, guest lectures by practitioners, laboratory work, excursions, and more offered by Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Delft University of Technology, you will explore frugal innovation through various lenses, including development, technology and entrepreneurship.

You will not only discover the theory of frugal innovation, you will also apply your knowledge in practice through a field assignment during which you will be engaged in real life research on and/or design and development of a frugal innovation. This assignment allows you to combine your own study background with the knowledge and skills you acquired during the first part of the minor.

To learn more about frugal innovation: The International Centre for Frugal Innovation

To read more about the LDE Minor Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development (FI4SGD):

Be aware: this is a selection minor for which you can only apply between 1 and 14 April (13:00hrs) 2022! Click the tab ‘registration and contact’ below for more information on how to apply and register.

Maximum number of students: 40

Prospectus number: 5000MFRINN

Class number: 1149

Language: English

Courses

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Frugal Innovation for Development 4
Frugal Innovation and Technology 3
Frugal Innovation and Entrepreneurship 3
Bootcamp 5
Frugal Innovation in Practice 15

Structure of the Minor

The 30 ECTS minor Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development (FI4SGD) provides a multidisciplinary learning environment, bringing together students from Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Block I

This Block consists of three thematic modules in which each participating university is responsible for one of the modules, and a Bootcamp which will prepare students for their Frugal Innovation in Practice field assignment.

  1. Frugal Innovation for Development // Leiden: Dr. A.H.M. Leliveld (coordination), and invited guest lecturers including Dr. Saradindu Bhaduri, Dr. Elsie Onsongo
  2. Frugal Innovation and Technology// Delft: Prof. dr. C.P. van Beers (coordination), Dr.ir. L. Lindeboom, Dr. ir. J.C. Diehl, and invited guest lecturers
  3. Frugal Innovation and Entrepreneurship// Erasmus: Prof. dr. P. Knorringa (coordination), Dr. G. Gomes, Dr. G. Schouten, and invited guest lecturers
  4. Bootcamp // Leiden/PLNT: Drs. B. Huerta (coordination), Drs. Rutger Bults, appointed coaches and invited guest lecturers including Dr. Karin Nijenhuis, Ir. Rebecca Baugh

In terms of learning methods in Block I, readings, tutorials, guest lectures, laboratory work and excursions, combined with practical assignments will be supplemented with online-learning discussions.

Block II

In Block II the Frugal Innovation in Practice field assignment will take place with additional support from the PLNT team and appointed team coaches

  1. Bootcamp // PLNT/Leiden: Drs. B. Huerta (coordination), Drs. Rutger Bults, appointed coaches and invited guest lecturers including Dr. Karin Nijenhuis, Ir. Rebecca Baugh
  2. Frugal Innovation in Practice (challenge-based field assignment) // International Centre for Frugal Innovation (ICFI) team under leadership of Dr. A.H.M. Leliveld, as well as allocated academic and provider supervisors

Students select their challenge working with Dutch or international providers, which could include a field visit abroad. The option to travel will be determined by the travel restrictions as specified by Leiden University on their Health and Safety website. The minor concludes in the last week of January 2023 during which students present the results of their field assignment, reflect on-, and evaluate their experience in the field.

Target Group

Applications are open to all third year Bachelor's students from Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, who are interested in this emerging field of study, regardless of study and disciplinary background. This minor is especially targets students who want to link their study with tackling concrete societal challenges.

Although not exclusive the minor is in particular attractive for students of anthropology and sociology, area studies, biology, development, global challenges, urbanisation, politics and international relations, economics, business studies, law, health, water, building sciences, industrial design, computer science and engineering, life science and technology, technology and innovation (management) studies, etc.

In general, students who are up for a multidisciplinary challenge and see the mutual benefit of integrating social, entrepreneurial and technological knowledge and skills are encourage to apply. We are looking for a diversity of interests and backgrounds, to ensure active cross-disciplinary interaction.

This minor requires full-time study from September 2022 until the last week of January in 2023. It is not possible to combine participation in this minor with other studies or retake exams. The minor forms a continuous program with its own exam rhythm and subsequent field assignment, which you cannot break into.

The minor is a selection minor. A maximum of 40 students (ideally equally distributed among the three LDE universities) will be selected and you can enrol following the process described in the Registration tab.

Take Note: Students have to follow and complete the full 30 ECTS of this LDE minor. Students from Erasmus University Rotterdam who usually only complete a 15 ECTS minor but are interested to follow this minor are strongly advised to contact their studies coordinator before applying to explore their possibility to complete the whole minor. Our experience is that this can mostly be arranged.

Admission requirements
Final year enrolled students from LEI, TU Delft and EUR.
Ability to complete the full 30 ECTS minor.
Proficiency in English reading, speaking and writing.
Full-time commitment.

Be aware: this is a selection minor for which you can only apply between 1 and 14 (13.00) April 2022! Click the tab ‘Registration’ for information on how to register if you have been selected

Registration and contact

Application

This LDE minor is a selection minor. This means that you can only apply for this minor between 1 and 14 April (13:00hrs) 2022!

The maximum number of students that can enrol in this minor is 40. Besides the quality of application letters and CVs, we aim to select an equal number of participants from the three participating universities and across disciplines. If we receive a lower number of students from one of the universities, vacant places will be allocated to students from the other two universities (equally spread). We also aim to select as large variety of disciplinary studies as possible. This implies that if we have a large number of applicants from one discipline, the best first three or four applicants that applied will be selected.

To apply you must be enrolled for a Bachelor’s programme at Leiden University, TU Delft or Erasmus University Rotterdam. Firstly you have to register your minor preference in uSis (for students from Leiden) or Osiris (for TUD and EUR students). Please note that the amount of selection minors you can register for differs between institutions.

Thereafter you need to complete the online Minor FI4SGD Application Form 2022-2023 and submit it together with you CV before 13.00 on Thursday 14 April. Submissions after this date will not be taken into consideration.

If you are seriously considering to partake in this minor we strongly advise that you do not postpone registering your minor preference! If you have any questions or difficulties with the link or the form please contact the minor coordination team: minorfrugalinnovation@asc.leidenuniv.nl

Registration process

If accepted for the FI4SGD LDE minor you will be notified at the latest by 26 April 2022. Thereafter, besides an active enrolment at your home university you also need to enrol as a guest-student at the other participating LDE universities.

Leiden University (LU) students must:
1. Enrol as a guest-student at TU Delft through Studielink. Select ‘Minor Technische Bestuurskunde’ (NL) or ‘Minor Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management’ (EN). After completing the enrolment form, you will receive an email with your TU Delft student number and your Net ID, which you will need to sign up for the minor.
2. You will receive an email from EUR requesting you to upload a passport photo, without which you cannot be enrolled as a guest student at EUR.

Delft University of Technology (TUD) students must:
1. Enrol as a guest student at Leiden University. You will receive an email from LEI with a request to activate your UCLN account. With this account you will be able to access Brightspace Leiden that will function as the only electronic learning management system during the minor. After activation you will also receive an Umail address which will be the only email address used during the minor. As soon as this address is active you need to inform the Minor Coordinator: Madi Ditmars at minorfrugalinnovation@asc.leidenuniv.nl
2. You will receive an email from EUR requesting you to upload a passport photo, without which you cannot be enrolled as a guest student at EUR.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) students must:
1. Enrol as a guest student at Leiden University. You will receive an email from LEI with a request to activate your UCLN account. With this account you will be able to access Brightspace Leiden that will function as the only electronic learning management system during the minor. After activation you will also receive an Umail address which will be the only email address used during the minor. As soon as this address is active you need to inform the Minor Coordinator: Madi Ditmars at minorfrugalinnovation@asc.leidenuniv.nl
2. Enrol as a guest-student at TU Delft through Studielink. Select ‘Minor Technische Bestuurskunde’ (NL) or ‘Minor Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management’ (EN). After completing the enrolment form, you will receive an email with your TU Delft student number and your Net ID, which you will need to sign up for the minor.

Contact

The coordination of the (FI4SGD) LDE minor lies with the African Studies Centre, Leiden University. For general questions regarding the minor please send your inquiries to the Minor Academic Coordinator Dr. André Leliveld and Minor Education Coordinator Madi Ditmars via: minorfrugalinnovation@asc.leidenuniv.nl