ANALYSIS – Frugal innovation upscaling technology in MENA region

In the framework of THE NEXT SOCIETY, ANIMA conducted an impact assessment with start-ups and clusters from the MENA region that participated in the project, in order to draw lessons on how to support innovation among these stakeholders.

The paper is structured in three parts, which stem directly from the findings of this impact assessment.

With a view to raising the level of competitiveness of the countries in the region and better inserting them into global competition, the first part questions the position of national ecosystems with regard to the practices of their innovators, as well as the relationship between frugal innovation, digital transition and the need for technological upscaling.

Frugal innovation – and the idea that it is possible to do a lot with little – lies at the heart of many development projects seeking to identify potential ‘breakthrough’ ideas that do not require significant economic investment or cutting-edge technology, and are easily exportable.

Nevertheless, this concept of frugal innovation comes up against the need for the countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean to move upscale technologically in a context of global competition. In fact, the aim is to increase the share of added value in the goods and services developed by businesses in the region, and to attract investments and trade that are currently made with Asia.

Moreover, it seems to us that the answers to the challenges in the Mediterranean and in the world require a search for efficiency and sustainability in traditional sectors. To this end, the integration of technological solutions, particularly digital ones, is necessary. The question then arises of the capacity to finance these solutions and their proper appropriation, which requires a structured support ecosystem for innovative projects and facilitating legislation.

Find the complete study in the download link.