A smiling farmer in a red shawl holds freshly picked greens, framed by the FIF arrow

Adaptation from the South. For the World.

Frugal Innovation Forum

A global-south platform

The Frugal Innovation Forum is the biggest international conference of BRAC where we explore what has worked and what hasn't, what to improve and what needs to be done, and where to go from here (and who to partner with). This helps the broader development sector audience to address critical discussions and work toward closing the remaining gaps in a sustainable, cost-effective way.

Five speakers in conversation on stage at a Frugal Innovation Forum session, in front of the Scaling Opportunities for Youth backdrop

We also explore issues related to access, design, and uptake of meaningful use cases, as well as emerging disruptive innovations in this field.

A connected ecosystem

University students test a prototype together at FIF

Frugal Innovation Challenge

Developing practical solutions to real-world challenges

The Frugal Innovation Challenge engages Bangladeshi university students and recent graduates to develop practical, people-centred solutions to pressing development challenges. Teams work together to explore problems, develop ideas and bring promising solutions into the wider FIF ecosystem.

About the Challenge
Innovators at work in a hands-on workshop at FIF

FIF Fellowship

Building and testing field-ready solutions

The Frugal Innovation Fellowship connects innovators with real-world development challenges and supports the development of practical, low-cost solutions. Fellows work with programme and field realities to test ideas, learn from implementation and explore how solutions can create meaningful impact.

About the Fellowship
Participants of a Frugal Innovation Forum conference pose together in front of the FIF banner

FIF Conference

A global-south platform

Since 2013, BRAC has been hosting the Frugal Innovation Forum every year, bringing together development practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, funding agencies and key stakeholders of the Global South. FIF is now evolving beyond a single conference into a connected ecosystem that identifies promising ideas, supports emerging innovators and brings practical solutions into a wider conversation.

About the Conference

FIF events each year

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