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Bruno Fischer's contribution to this article is based on the study funded by the Basic Research Program of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and by the Russian Academic Excellence Project '5-100'. Bruno Fischer also acknowledges funding from the SAo Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp Grant #2016/17801-4).

Analysis of institutional authors

Guimón, JAuthor

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

Publicated to:Journal of Knowledge Management. 25 (2): 360-379 - 2021-03-08 25(2), DOI: 10.1108/JKM-01-2020-0040

Authors: Fischer, Bruno; Guerrero, Maribel; Guimon, Jose; Schaeffer, Paola Rucker

Affiliations

Natl Res Univ Higher Sch Econ, Moscow, Russia - Author
Newcastle Univ, Business Sch, Northumbria Ctr Innovat Reg Transformat & Entrepr, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Dept Dev Econ, Madrid, Spain - Author
Univ Desarrollo, Sch Business & Econ, Santiago, Chile - Author
Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Sci & Technol Policy, Campinas, Brazil - Author
Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Appl Sci, Limeira, Brazil - Author
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Abstract

Purpose 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. Design/methodology/approach 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). Findings 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. Research limitations/implications 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. Practical implications 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. Social implications By adopting frugal innovation practices, universities can enhance their contribution of meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Originality/value 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.

Keywords

BrazilDeterminantsDeveloping-countriesEcosystemsEmerging economiesEntrepreneurial and innovation ecosystemsEntrepreneurial universityFrugal innovationGrowthOf-the-artSocial innovationSocial innovation approachStrategic knowledge transfer managementSustainable development

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Journal of Knowledge Management due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2021, it was in position 6/84, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Information Science & Library Science. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 12.75. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 12.06 (source consulted: FECYT Feb 2024)
  • Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 48.74 (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-01, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 94
  • Scopus: 129
  • Google Scholar: 156

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-01:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 647.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 646 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.85.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 4 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Brazil; Chile; Russia; United Kingdom.