Maria Pineda Escobar’s PhD research aims to gain a better understanding of the pending question of the connection between frugal innovation and sustainability. In doing so she aims to specifically study small and medium-sized local enterprises, which correspond to a sub-group of frugal innovation actors that has been largely overlooked by frugal innovation research. She is specialised in issues related to innovation, inclusive business and sustainability in Base of the Pyramid markets, with a particular focus on developing and emerging countries.
For more than eight years she has been a full time researcher with the Faculty of Business, Management and Sustainability at Politecnico Grancolombiano University in Colombia. She is also a senior consultant with the Spanish “Centro de Alianzas para el Desarrollo” Global CAD and with CECODES, the Colombian chapter of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She is also a member of the National Committee of Inclusive Business of Colombia (CONNIC) and of the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development experts network.
Furthermore, Maria has been a visiting scholar at various universities around the world. Most recently she was awarded the prestigious Fulbright visiting researcher scholarship to conduct a research stay at the Frugal Innovation Hub of Santa Clara University
