1. WHAT IS THIS DOCUMENT?
This document gives you information about the First Frugal Innovation Challenge of FRANCIS, so that you can make an informed decision about your support for this challenge. It describes the purpose of the challenge and why we invite you to be a supporter. It explains what you will need to do to be a supporter and any known risks, inconveniences or discomforts that you may have while being part of the supporter community. We encourage you to take some time to think this over and to ask questions.
2. WHO CAN BE A SUPPORTER?
You are invited to the challenge if you are at least eighteen (18) years old and with full legal capacity. Legal capacity means that you are able to sign contracts, for example to buy property and manage your money. People with a disability may, for example, have limited legal capacity. We specifically invite the following groups to join the challenge:
- Troubled families. Individuals, who are part of a family (i) of at least two people living together, (ii) with one family member in need of special care, for example because of low or high age (children, senior citizens) or a disability, and (iii) who feel restricted in budget and space (low income, small home).
- Green minimalists. individuals, who (i) have a modest lifestyle by choice or by force, for example because they value simplicity or have restricted financial means, and (ii) aim at fostering ecological and social sustainability.
- Independent senior citizens. Elderly individuals or couples, who (i) consider themselves senior citizens, (ii) live on their own or with friends/family, and (iii) manage their own household.
You can support the challenge in English, German or Turkish.
3. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHALLENGE AND MY SUPPORT?
This challenge invites citizens to develop ideas for simple, affordable and sustainable appliances and solutions. The focus of the challenge is on tasks related to household (washing the dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc.) and kitchen (food preparation, preservation, cooking, etc.).
This information sheet addresses supporters of the challenge. Participants and buddies have to agree to a different set of rules. If you are interested in being a participant, please click on the “Participate” button on the challenge website. If you want to join as a buddy, please talk to our regional team.
4. WHERE WILL THE CHALLENGE TAKE PLACE AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
The challenge will run from 25 January to 28 July 2023. During this time, there will be surveys and events for supporters we will invite you to. You will be free to decide when and for how long you support the challenge. While you are involved, you are free to decide if you take part in a specific survey/event and are free to leave a survey/event at any point of time.
5. WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO DO?
The researchers facilitating the challenge will talk to you from time to time during the course of the challenge. They will do so to learn about your needs with respect to household and kitchen tasks. They will also talk to you about the ideas that have been developed in the challenge and will ask you for feedback.
6. WHAT ARE MY BENEFITS OF SUPPORTING THE CHALLENGE?
Your support for the challenge will help participants to improve their ideas. Your contribution to the challenge can push the emergence of future products that are more in line with your specific needs and beneficial for nature and society. In addition, the project in general will strengthen the interest and ability of citizens and industry to design simple, affordable and sustainable products.
7. WHAT ARE MY RISKS OF SUPPORTING THE CHALLENGE?
We believe there are no known risks associated with your support for the challenge. However, a possible inconvenience may be the time it takes.
8. HOW WILL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION BE PROTECTED?
The following procedures will be used to protect your data. For an overview on our data management, please check out the section on “Ethics & Data” on our website. Our buddies are happy to answer any remaining questions you may have.
We will process your personal data (name and contact details) and data collected during surveys and events according to European data protection standards. FRANCIS will try to minimise the amount of personal data collected. We will keep all data on secure servers and clouds of the project partners of FRANCIS.
We, the project partners of FRANCIS, are the only ones that have access to your contact details. Your profile is visible for the mentors. Your profile includes data such as your name, your gender, your location, the language you use in the challenge, and the citizen group you relate to (troubled families, green minimalists or independent senior citizens).
Our mentors can see the input/feedback you submit to the challenge. Consolidated information on the input/feedback of all supporters will be passed on to the participants. The mentors have agreed to treat your contribution confidentially.
A summary on all participants, teams, supporters and proposals will be published on the website after the end of each round. This includes, for example, the supporter’s location, gender and citizen group.
We will publish a summary of the supporter input/feedback collected in various media, including our website and scientific publications. These publications could include statements of supporters as quotes. In this case, the names of the supporters will not be mentioned, unless they explicitly agree to their publication. As far as public events are concerned, you automatically agree to the publication of data such as photo and viceo recordings when you join the events.
If you want to leave the challenge, please ask your buddy to delete your personal profile. In this case, your personal data will be removed from our servers and clouds. If you want to stay informed about this challenge and the next one, you can subscribe to one of our social media channels. Your name and contact details will be deleted upon your request at any given time. At the end of the project, all personal data will be automatically deleted.
The participation in FRANCIS has minimal risks. However, please be advised that the nature of an Open Innovation challenge prevents the researchers from guaranteeing complete confidentiality, although we will take every precaution to do so. To that effect, the researchers would like to remind you to respect the privacy of fellow supporters, participants and mentors in the Open Innovation challenge, and not repeat what has been said in supporter consultations or events to the outside world.
9. WILL I RECEIVE ANY PAYMENT FOR SUPPORTING THE CHALLENGE?
Supporters will not receive any payment for their involvement in the challenge.
10. WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
Take as long as you need before you make a decision. We will be happy to answer any question you have about the challenge and your involvement as a supporter. If you have further questions about this project or if you have a challenge-related problem, please feel free to talk to our buddies.
11. WHAT IF MY BUDDY HAS QUESTIONS?
In the course of the challenge, our buddies may come across topics that they find difficult to deal with. This mainly concerns findings beyond the scope of our project, such as serious problems of participants that are not related to the challenge. A family could, for example, be in serious financial trouble. Or a senior citizen could struggle with the household chores. In this case, the buddy will consult our regional managers. They will discuss the situation with the ethics managers and try to help (if needed).
12. CAN I STOP SUPPORTING THE CHALLENGE?
You do not have to be in the challenge if you do not want to. If you agree to join the challenge, but later change your mind, you may drop out at any time. There are no penalties or consequences of any kind if you decide that you do not want to be involved (any longer).
