This document examines the sustainability of several FabLabs across Asia and identifies common business models. It analyzes 7 FabLabs from India, Philippines, and Japan of various sizes and entities. The labs studied rely on a mix of revenue sources like access fees, workshops, projects, and in-kind support. Three main types of revenue are identified based on number of payers, payment size, and expertise needed: access fees have large numbers of small payers and low expertise; workshops have medium numbers and payment size and medium expertise; and projects have small numbers but large payment size and high expertise. Sustainability remains a question as many labs struggle with re-investment after 5 years without consistent revenue streams.

1. Business Model Typology for FabLabs:
Examining the sustainability question with
Asian labs
Tomoaki Watanabe& Yutaka Tokushima
Keio University
The 2nd International Conference on Digital Fabrication
Mar 3-5, 2016. Keio University, Tokyo

2. Sustainability issue
- Concern rather wide-spread
- Should not be a strict requirement to the extent there is spill-over
effects (i.e. not all beneficiaries pay back to the lab)
- Expected often by grant-issuing organizations, governments, etc.

3. Labs studied
Country GDP per cap.* Location Local Pop.** Entity
Vigyan Ashram India 1596 Pabal 4 Edu
F.L. Bohol Philippines 2871 Bohol 97 Edu
F.L. Kamakura Japan 36194 Kamakura 177 NPO
F.L. Tsukuba Japan 36194 Tsukuba 221 Priv
F.L. Oita Japan 36194 Oita 479 Gov
F.L. Sendai Japan 36194 Sendai 1054 Priv
HONFabLab Indonesia 3492 Jakarta 9608 NPO

4. revenue sources + owner benefits
main revenue owner rev entity est. in
Vigyan Ashram N/A. tuition, etc. Edu 2002.
F.L. Bohol N/A N/A Edu 2014.5
F.L. Kamakura training N/A NPO 2011.5
F.L. Tsukuba N/A. projects Priv 2011.5
F.L. Oita N/A. N/A Gov 2014.1
F.L. Sendai mixed projects Priv 2013.4
HONFabLab membership N/A NPO 2011.7

5. Characteristics
- Many labs get by in one way or the other
- Re-investment into facilities after 5 years still a question
- In-kind support important: space, staff, etc.

6. 3 major types of revenue
Type of Revenue # of payers payment size expertise needed
Access large small low
Workshops/Training Prog. medium medium medium
Projects/Services small large high

7. missing and additional elements
Innovation Center
- No “pay-back” scheme
- Serious shortage of initial capital in dev. countries
Additional
- Space rental for start-ups
-

8. Other issues
- Time & space allocation possible hurdle pursuing multiple revenue
sources