Periodic Reporting for period 1 - InfoInn (Informal Innovations: Insights from Artisan Clusters and Makerspaces in India)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-09-30
The informal economy is a major component of the global south’s economy. In India, it constitutes over 90% of employment and significantly contributes to GDP. However, innovation within/by the informal settings remains largely invisible to formal research and policy frameworks. This neglect undervalues the ingenuity and problem-solving capabilities of individuals and communities operating in these settings and limits opportunities to leverage informal innovation for societal and economic advancement. Unlike the traditional understanding of innovation associated with corporations, R&D institutions, and universities, the informal settings develop innovation through local actors, grassroots networks, and traditional knowledge systems. These innovations are often frugal, sustainable, and adapted to the socio-economic realities of those involved. Women, particularly in artisanal clusters, play a major role in this innovation ecosystem but face barriers such as limited access to markets, systemic gender biases, and dwindling generational interest in crafts. During my Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship, I studied these dynamics through two contrasting sites of informal innovation in India: artisanal clusters and makerspaces. Artisanal clusters are community-based hubs that preserve and evolve traditional craft practices, while makerspaces are modern collaborative environments equipped with advanced tools like 3D printers, enabling creative experimentation. Both are informal settings because they function outside conventional institutional frameworks, relying on community-driven knowledge, self-organisation, and flexible, non-regulated processes to foster innovation and creativity. This informality allows them to adapt to local needs and constraints, making them critical spaces for grassroots problem-solving and inclusive innovation. By studying these two settings, I analysed how informal innovations are developed, shared, and sustained, and how networks, gender roles, and socio-cultural factors influence these processes. The research aimed to address gaps in understanding the unique characteristics of informal innovation and its potential contributions to sustainability, economic development, and social inclusion. The project’s results are significant for both academic and policy contexts. It advances the theoretical understanding of innovation by focusing on processes outside formal R&D structures and emphasising the unique dynamics of informal settings in the Global South. The findings offer actionable insights for policymakers, highlighting the need for targeted support to empower women artisans, improve market access, and sustain traditional crafts. They also underscore the importance of promoting inclusivity in collaborative spaces like makerspaces, encouraging greater participation of women in STEM-related innovation. The project’s outcomes are being shared through academic publications, planned policy briefs and public engagement activities to ensure their integration into scholarly debates and practical solutions for innovation governance.
The project began with an extensive literature review, resulting in two review papers that laid the theoretical foundation for the study. These papers addressed gaps in understanding innovation outside formal R&D structures and introduced new conceptual frameworks tailored to informal settings. Subsequently, fieldwork was conducted in two phases. The first phase focused on urban makerspaces, covering six cities across India, while the second phase explored the Rajbanshi artisan cluster in North Bengal. Data collection included interviews, participant observation, and focus group discussions, resulting in rich qualitative data. Key findings highlighted the diversity of innovation practices across these settings. Makerspaces promote open collaboration and experimentation, with participants engaging in both technological and artistic innovation. Challenges in these spaces included gender disparities and barriers limiting women's participation. The study offered recommendations to enhance inclusivity and resource accessibility in these environments. In contrast, artisan clusters demonstrated innovation rooted in traditional knowledge systems, with a focus on cultural preservation and economic sustainability. Women played central roles in these clusters, but they faced constraints such as limited market access and declining generational interest. The research emphasised the need for institutional support and policy interventions to sustain these crafts. The project’s achievements include insights into the informal innovation process, particularly the intersections of gender, culture, and knowledge sharing.
The InfoInn project produced insights into informal innovation by expanding the conceptual framework of innovation studies to include settings such as artisan clusters and makerspaces. This work challenged the conventional focus on formal R&D and industrial settings of the Global North, introducing a comparative lens that highlighted the distinctive dynamics of grassroots and collaborative innovation within the informal contexts of the Global South. Key results include the identification of gender-specific barriers and enablers in makerspaces, as well as the documentation of how traditional knowledge systems in artisan clusters adapt to modern challenges while sustaining cultural heritage. The project emphasised the importance of tacit knowledge, informal networks, and community-based collaboration, proposing actionable pathways to integrate informal innovation into mainstream economic and policy frameworks. To ensure further impact, the findings advocate for targeted policy support, improved access to markets and resources for artisans, and enhanced inclusivity in makerspaces, particularly for women. Continued research and cross-sectoral collaborations are vital to address the structural gaps in funding, institutional support, and market integration, enabling the widespread recognition and scaling of informal innovations for sustainable development.