Frugal innovation in a crisis: the digital fabrication maker response to COVID‐19

Lucia Corsini, Valeria Dammicco, James Moultrie · 2020 · R and D Management

Summary. During COVID-19, maker communities used digital fabrication tools to produce critical items like masks and ventilators, demonstrating frugal innovation—doing more with less for more people. Case studies from Italy and India show makers employed similar resource-constrained approaches despite different economic contexts. The research expands frugal innovation theory beyond emerging markets, establishing digital fabrication as a key enabler for distributed innovation networks responding to crises.

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Corsini, L., Dammicco, V., & Moultrie, J.. (2020). Frugal innovation in a crisis: the digital fabrication maker response to COVID‐19. R and D Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12446

@article{corsini-2020-frugal-innovation-crisis-digital-fabrication,
  title   = {Frugal innovation in a crisis: the digital fabrication maker response to COVID‐19},
  author  = {Lucia Corsini and Valeria Dammicco and James Moultrie},
  journal = {R and D Management},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.1111/radm.12446},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12446}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Frugal innovation in a crisis: the digital fabrication maker response to COVID‐19
AU  - Lucia Corsini
AU  - Valeria Dammicco
AU  - James Moultrie
JO  - R and D Management
PY  - 2020
DO  - 10.1111/radm.12446
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Details

DOI: 10.1111/radm.12446
Countries: Italy, India
Regions: Europe, Asia
Categories: innovation-theory, innovation-networks, general-innovation
Added: 2026-04-28