Editor | On 26, Feb 2004

Address to the heads of local TRIZ organizations,members of these organizations, the ones who study TRIZ.
Dear colleagues!

As you know the Conference of the International TRIZ Association which took place in 2003 (Petrozavodsk) adopted recommendation on creating research laboratories. Such a decision has been dire need for long and finally became reality. It was agreed that the MA TRIZ and LOT (Laboratory of Education Technologies) would be the founders of the first research laboratory of this kind.

TRIZ as a study has always been dynamic. TRIZ passed ahead of the time and the time had to run it down. Such a leading development was provided by a large scale of researches. Today the time runs down TRIZ and even threats to leave it behind. The amount of specialists, groups, companies actively and skillfully applying TRIZ increases. At the same time a lot of alternative invention methods appear and many of them are quite good. In the nearest future the “technical” niche would be filled up. TRIZ won’t remain the future, first it would turn into the present and then past.

Certain investigations are conducted within the frameworks of TRIZ. But in the main they are the applied ones, they are aimed at development of the present, not at making a break-through to the future. Only fundamental researches can provide science with it. That is why it is necessary to turn to some other spheres.

So, we need methods of fundamental research work and Researchers. And that is the Laboratory. The Laboratory works de facto for a long time. Wide range of studies in the field of pedagogics is being conducted now. Lots of works are devoted to business. Studies of civilizations’ development and material systems in the whole seem to be very interesting and perspective. There is also some progress in the sphere of art. The work on investigating the development of scientific conceptions has been started already. But the time hurries up. It demands not amateurish single investigations but a powerful break-through. It is absolutely impossible having no serious research school. Such a school was ideologically established by Henry Saulivitch Altshuller. It is our task to realize it methodically and practically.

No one is born a researcher. The one should be prepared and trained to become a researcher. Here we face a contradiction. Gaining experience by your own tries, mistakes and accidental successes is a too long and wasteful path. But finally it is a proper way to form a strong and independent creative personality. It is easier and faster to gain experience under the direction of an experienced researcher. But he would certainly impose his own topics and ideas of the further development.

The solution of this contradiction was also predicted by H.S. Altshuller. He suggested absolutely new topics to his most perspective students. So, in the research process he was on the same level as his students. This enabled him to transfer research experience without imposing his own notions.

This principle should become the main one in the Laboratory. Those who already have an experience of TRIZ research work and those who don’t have one, should have the same position toward the topic of study. We will learn how to conduct research work in its process, transferring the experience to each other and applying new ideas to ourselves.

At present the work in the Laboratory won’t bring its participants immediate welfare or world fame. The only motivation we have is to study and transfer our knowledge to others. Everyone can take part in the work of the Laboratory. The work itself would reveal if the person is enough motivated to become a researcher. If he is not, and he is more inclined to applied work, even then his experience won’t disappear; it would be used in this or that way. And the results of the work would serve as the basis for further investigations.

It is a well-known fact that now there is still no other form of starting research work but the extensive card index. The Laboratory also has to start with this. H.S. Altshuller has suggested creating a so-called “combined card indexes”. We won’t analyze why this idea wasn’t accepted by TRIZ. Now our experience and technical base differ from the ones of that time. It is worth reviving this work form at a new level. To begin with we can suggest the following themes for the Card Indexes.

1. Scientific conceptions development.
2. Development of mind bearer.
3. Invention solutions in the social sphere.
4. Inventions and inventive tasks in education.
5. Inventive tasks in business.
6. «Capture» of substance in different systems: technical, social, informational, etc.
7. «Patent wells»: consecution of the development of a certain system for a few decades or centuries.
8. Examples of different «development lines»: mono-bi-poly; fragmentation; gaps, etc.

This is not a final variant of the list. The more suggestions, the better. But it should be taken into account that joining any of the topics is voluntary. The one who makes a suggestion should be ready that he can be the only person to enrich his section of the Index with new information.

Today that’s how we imagine the scheme of work on the Index creation:

1. The ones who suggested some topic compose and distribute the explanations and samples of the necessary materials to their Laboratory colleagues.
2. If a participant of the Laboratory finds an interesting material dealing with some other topic he should draw it up in accordance with the received sample and send it to the Coordinator of the Index. The Coordinator registers the material and supplies it with code and the name of the person who sent it. So the material can be used by everyone.
3. Any participant of the Laboratory has a right to form his own card index by means of the general Index. The only requirement is to refer to the person who sent the material and the Index when publishing or using the material.

The Card Index is an important but not the only element of researcher’s work. It is also necessary to know how to set up a hypothesis, generalize material, notice the disadvantages of the model built, eliminate them, find the ways for the further development of the topic and to have many other essential skills.

There are rough drafts of all of these topics but they are far from the real methods. It is just a material for discussion. The International TRIZ Association and LOT plan to hold an internal seminar for the participants of the Laboratory in 2004. The results of the seminar would serve as the basis for the further work of the Laboratory.

For those who won’t be able to take part in the seminar and the ones who would join us later a correspondence seminar would be organized. The participants of the internal seminar would lead the correspondence one.

Thus the methods and human base of the Laboratory would be set. While working some participants of the Laboratory would certainly feel able to continue their research activity independently. They would either become curators of their themes in the Laboratory or head a similar laboratory in their local TRIZ organization.

Please, bring this address to the attention of all your colleagues and students.
Please, send your suggestions and remarks to U.S. Murashkovsky: julijsmur@inbox.ru
Guin Anatoly Aleksandrovitch (Gomel)
Murashkovsky Yuly Samoilovitch (Elgava) – head of the project
Rubin Mikhail Semenovitch (Petrozavodsk)

1. Litvin Simon Solomonovitch, TRIZ master, chairman of “New England TRIZ Association” was appointed vice president of the MA TRIZ on North America. His functions include: coordination of all the activities of the International TRIZ Association in North America, organization of conferences, seminars, exhibitions; coordination of the MA TRIZ members activities in North America, creation of new TRIZ organizations and unions, coordination of scientific and research TRIZ activities in North America, informational support, organization of attestation and certification in North America.

2. Stepanchikova Maria Anatoljevna, deputy director on the matters of scientific and methodical work in the CTTU of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (Moscow) was appointed adviser of the president of the International TRIZ Association on the TRIZ methods integration into system of primary professional and additional education of children and youth.

3. Expert Board of the International TRIZ Association has made an examination and approved the program of “Innovation Master” studying course till 2008. The basic program was developed by A. Kislov and Y. Yudin. The program was approved in 1998 by the president of MA TRIZ H.S. Altshuller. S.Yakovanko, V.Tsurikov and I.Bukhman elaborated additions to the program. Total continuance of the course is 259 hours. It is recommended to use it for training 1st and 2nd level specialists under the system of multi-step attestation and certification of the International TRIZ Association. You can get acquainted with the text of the program by a special inquiry. TRIZ Master Y. Murashkovsky headed the examination.

4. The work on attestation and certification of TRIZ specialists goes on. Methods Board of “Samsung TRIZ Association” (the head of the Board is G. Severinets) attested three specialists of Samsung Electronics, and this decision was approved by MA TRIZ on 12.12.2003. New certificates were given to the following persons: 02/00029/030 JONG-SOO JEONG ( ), Suwon, Korea, The Specialist Using TRIZ, Engineering, Precision Mechanism; 03/00002/030 JEONG-SEON KIM ( ), Suwon, Korea, TRIZ Consultant, Engineering, Ph.D. Surface Physics; 03/00003/030 JUN-YOUNG LEE ( ), Suwon, Korea, TRIZ Consultant, Engineering, mechanical engneeing.

5. On the 9th of December, 2003 Presidium of the International TRIZ Association decided to give Dong-Lyoul Shin, the leader of TRIZ-group of Samsung Electronics VIP-center, a TRIZ specialist certificate #59. This is the first specialist in Korea (Suvon city) to get a TRIZ specialist certificate.

6. On the 14th of December, 2003 Presidium of the International TRIZ Association affiliated “The Korea TRIZ Association”. Membership card of the Association – #31. President of the Association is Jong-Su Kim. The Korea TRIZ Association and the International TRIZ Association signed cooperation agreement on the 20th of October, 2003. In accordance with this agreement TRIZ Master Narbut N.N. and TRIZ expert of Samsung SAIT Lenyashin V.A. (Saint-Petersburg) became members of the Board of the Korea TRIZ Association. This will ensure more effective interaction between MA TRIZ and KTA. ??? and MA TRIZ will cooperate in the field of attestation, certification, training of teachers, organization of conferences and preparation of publications devoted to issues of TRIZ.

7. At present many big companies all over the world work on creation and development of engineering groups using TRIZ. The International TRIZ Association often gets inquiries for TRIZ specialists to fill up staff vacancies in such groups. We have just started forming staff reserve of TRIZ specialists. Please, send your applications for us to put your candidacy in the base of the staff reserve of MA TRIZ. You should enclose your CV in Russian and English with the application. The information received from the applicants is confidential and can be transferred to third persons only by consent of the applicant. You should point out your level of English language knowledge and the type of services you provide: one-time consultations, expert work at an enterprise for 1-2 years, holding training seminars, etc. Additional information can be specified by post.

8. 7 correspondence sittings of the International TRIZ Association Presidium took place since July of the year 2003. For the most part issues of attestation, certification and affiliating new members with MA TRIZ are discussed. In particular, changes were made in the Provisions of formal multi-step attestation requirements. For the 1st level the one must study TRIZ for 0.5-1 year; for the 2nd level – 1-2 years; for the 3rd level – 2-3 years.

9. The International TRIZ Association still gets materials for the MA TRIZ Fund of Materials. Recently the Fund has got books and electronic documents from Kim Hyo June; «The Korea TRIZ Association»; «Samsung TRIZ Association»; Y. Danilovsky. We thank everyone who helped to enlarge the Fund.

10. We start preparing a regular MA TRIZ contest of solving creative tasks for schoolchildren and students “TRIZ-2004”. We schedule to send the tasks in January-February 2004. We would like to widen territorial coverage of the contest. This time the task would be both in Russian and English languages. To our mind it would be quite useful to unite contest tasks with the developing multi-step attestation and certification of TRIZ specialists. At the same time we would like to find out what specialists think of the contest “TRIZ-2004”. We would be grateful for tasks suggested for the contest. Maybe something should be changed in the organization of the contest. We would be thankful for any suggestions.

11. OO “TRIZ-Krasnoyarsk” produced the work “Security signaling” for the 4th contest “TRIZ-2003” of the International TRIZ Association. The authors of the work are Kozirev Sergei (11th grade, aerospace school, gymnasium #17, Krasnoyarsk city) and Kurako Mikhail (11th grade, aerospace school, Krasnoyarsk city). The guide of the work is Dmitriev Sergei Anatoljevitch, certificated TRIZ specialist. The work was rewarded with the diploma “for easement of idea and qualitative get-up of the project”. On the 3rd of 2003 the director of MUP of additional education “Aerospace school”, Krasnoyarsk city, got a letter from the Federal Institution of Industrial Property. The letter contained a suggestion of including this invention in the data base of the Russian perspective projects. The Institution also suggested producing other inventions to put them in the data base.

12. The International TRIZ Association gets inquiries for the registered trade mark «TRIZ». In view of this situation we send a copy of trade mark certificate (priority of 19.12.2001). What for this trade mark was registered and how the International TRIZ Association will use it? The main aim was to protect TRIZ community from possible commercial use of TRIZ abbreviation. MA TRIZ has been always advocating wide dissemination of TRIZ all over the world. TRIZ specialists, owners of the Internet sites with the name of TRIZ, organizations which have TRIZ abbreviation in their title, should know that the International TRIZ Association would never try to limit use of TRIZ abbreviation. TRIZ founder H.S. Altshuller was also the founder and the first president of the International TRIZ Association. And one of the primary goals of the Association is to ensure free development of TRIZ. Within the framework of the project “TRIZ unlimited” MA TRIZ has already started concluding agreements of free use of TRIZ abbreviation. This abbreviation must be used freely; TRIZ trade mark shouldn’t be used for commercial purposes. Only goods and services created on the basis of TRIZ can be commercial. For example: books, methods, seminars, patents, inventions, technologies, programs, etc. The International TRIZ Association will maintain a register of organizations and natural persons who have signed agreements of non-using TRIZ abbreviation for commercial purposes. We welcome all interested parties to sign this document.

13. MA TRIZ gets positive estimations of the International TRIZ Association Bulletin. We thank Ellen Domb (TRIZ Journal) for assistance in distributing the English version of the Bulletin. We have been thinking for long of how the information letters and the Bulletin of the International TRIZ Association should go with. We decided that they should develop independently because each of them has its special function. Information letters are used for publishing official documents and official point of view of the International TRIZ Association governing body. At the same time within the Bulletin some issues can be discussed, the more detail information or different opinions to the point can be presented. It is possible that the Bulletin would publish reviews of schools’ state and different theoretical questions. In any case the vice president of the International TRIZ Association Viktor Ivanovitch Timokhov is responsible for the development of the Bulletin. His e-mail address is tim@trizland.ru. Please, send all your suggestions of the context of the Bulletin and organization of the information activity of MA TRIZ to V.I. Timokhov. President of the International TRIZ Association, Rubin M.S.

When establishing the International TRIZ Association in 1997 H.S. Altshuller conceived it as an organization of absolutely new type. The main thing about it was creativity as a priority. This new organization should have become a testing area for creating mechanisms of a new civilization based on creativity.

Let me cite a paragraph of an article written by H.S. Altshuller together with me:
«In the future civilization the humanity will have to give up material and consumer way of life and material consumption as the main value. The principal vector of such a civilization will be creativity aimed at extending and enlarging our knowledge as well as enriching natural beauty of the world. The population of the future civilization will be involved in creativity for the most part. Such a society will need an advanced system of developing creative world view and training creative technology of thinking. The present TRIZ lessons can be a kind of prototype of this system». (H.S. Altshuller, M.S. Rubin. What will come after the final victory. Eight ideas about nature and techniques. In a collection «Chance for an adventure». Petrozavodsk, «Karelia», 1991, p. 236). Distant goals can be achieved only step by step, building one mechanism after another, like a bridge above abyss of unknown. To my mind, TRIZ should pass three stages while developing.

1. The first stage is forming a society of professional TRIZ specialists who will be able to apply TRIZ methods practically. At this stage it is very important to have results of TRIZ application in industrial processes, introduction of system of TRIZ specialists’ attestation and certification, creation of a high-quality and effective training system. A system of TRIZ application should already have been built in various fields: business, scientific and research activity, art, etc. At this stage economical expediency of TRIZ methods dissemination seems to be one of the main points.

Of course, all these tasks demand developing TRIZ as a theory. There are two basic directions in the development of the theory:
– development of the applied mechanisms of TRIZ, rise in effectiveness and potency of practical use of TRIZ;
– dissemination of TRIZ in the other fields besides the technical one, expanding application of TRIZ mechanisms beyond the bounds of technical systems.

2. The second stage should be connected with creating a system of preparing creative personalities. It is obvious that no one will need mechanisms of creative tasks solving without motives for creativity. A theory of creative personality development can serve as the basis for such activity. Some elements of this stage can be found in the work of MA TRIZ already. They are: establishing a system of teaching schoolchildren and students TRIZ, organizing contests of creative tasks solving, organizing TRIZ youth movement, etc. It is very important to create scientific and research laboratories attached to the regional TRIZ organizations. H.S. Altshuller paid attention to this point while forming the structure of the International TRIZ Association. The system of professional TRIZ specialists and methods of creative tasks solving which should have been created at the first stage of MA TRIZ development will be the base for the second stage.

3. The third stage is establishing preconditions for forming civilization of a new type, which treats creativity as the main vector. The work written by H.S. Altshuller and M.S. Rubin “What will come after the final victory. Eight ideas about nature and techniques.” can be an ideological ground for this stage. There is still no theoretical base for this stage and we face lots of questions which demand separate investigations. For example: what kind of economy should be in the creative civilization; should it be based on a state or some other institutions; what will political and ethic grounds, technological and educational systems be like. These questions won’t get any answers if the previous stages of MA TRIZ development were not realized.

There is no doubt that the mission of MA TRIZ, its goals, program of development need to be discussed thoroughly. It is also important to remember the aims and tasks set by H.S. Altshuller. This will allow us to concentrate our efforts on the most vital directions and to join our resources. The tasks set by H.S. Altshuller often seemed fantastic, impracticable. But this was one of the reasons why it was so interesting to solve such tasks and why these solutions radiated so great energy.

President of the International TRIZ Association,
Rubin M.S.

1. The work of the International TRIZ Association (registration certificate of the Department of Justice of the Russian Federation #3784) is aimed at development and propaganda of TRIZ; all the activities of the organization serve as the evidence of this. MA TRIZ has never restricted the right of free use of TRIZ and this correspond the phrase by Valentina Nikolaevna «…everyone can use TRIZ freely without any limits…», which was in her letter.

Information letter of MA TRIZ ? 30/2003 (December 20, 2003) is also an evidence of MA TRIZ striving for widening the sphere of TRIZ use (project «TRIZ without limits» http://matriz.ru/matriz/info.shtml). MA TRIZ does not take any measures to limit use and popularization of the term “TRIZ”, does not demand any deductions for its use. At the same time MA TRIZ creates mechanisms of TRIZ movement protection against possible claims of some commercial organizations and natural persons on the word “TRIZ” and freedom of TRIZ dissemination. Registration of trade mark «? ? ? ?-TRIZ» by ? ? TRIZ will allow TRIZmen to fulfill and support the project “TRIZ without limits”.

2. H.S. Altshuller based MA TRIZ on democratic mechanisms which allow to take decisions on behalf of the majority of the international TRIZ community. Presidium of MA TRIZ – governing body of the organization consists of representatives of different organizations from different countries. Not a single person but the governing body of the whole organization decided to register trade marks of MA TRIZ. The trade marks were registered first of all for the sake of the TRIZ movement. Today when the marks are registered already they belong to all members of TRIZ community. The work on preparing papers and registering the trade mark «? ? ? ?-TRIZ» has been held since 1998 in MA TRIZ. A few Presidents of the Association changed but the activity line remained the same. The trade mark was registered in 2003 and this is a result of MA TRIZ work for the last five years and not the initiative of a single person. MA TRIZ gets many letters with thanks for registration of the trade mark.

3. The issue of «? ? ? ?-TRIZ» trade mark registration first of all involves some juridical problems. That’s why we turned to the patent agent V.G. Berezina who has been working together with H.S. Altshuller for many years . Information given by V.G. Berezina on the discussed issue is enclosed with the present letter. According to this information neither heirs of Altshuller’s works as natural persons nor the Fund of H.S. Altshuller having no juridical status can own the trade mark «? ? ? ?-TRIZ». Therefore the claims by V.N. Zhuravleva to MA TRIZ on registration of the trade mark «? ? ? ?-TRIZ» have no legal rationale. But at the same time there are commercial companies which own trade marks with the word “TRIZ” for more than 10 years. These companies have the right turn to MA TRIZ, heirs of

Altshuller’s works or any of the TRIZmen to lay claim to their trade marks. Therefore it seems surprising that there is such a wide discussion of the right of MA TRIZ of registering the trade marks whereas there are no claims to other juridical persons having the words “TRIZ” and “? ? ? ?” in their trade marks.

4. All the controversial points could be decided by a constructive discussion if V.N. Zhuravleva has turned directly to the Presidium of MA TRIZ. MA TRIZ is based on special mechanisms which allow not only to take decisions but also give the world TRIZ community means to control them. Supervisory Board of MA TRIZ consists of 62 TRIZ Masters; each of them has got the diploma from H.S. Altshuller on behalf of MA TRIZ. TRIZ Masters have the right to cancel any decision of MA TRIZ by a majority of votes and this excludes the necessity to turn to court.

5. We suppose that difficulties between the heirs of Altshuller’s works and MA TRIZ are not in the interests of V.N. Zhuravleva, MA TRIZ or TRIZ community as a whole . These diffic ulties can benefit only few commercial organizations working in the sphere of TRIZ. We think that it is necessary to establish not a mediated but a direct dialogue between the heirs of Altshuller’s works and MA TRIZ for the sake of maintaining integrity and further development of TRIZ movement.

6. Since the moment of the founding and till nowadays MA TRIZ strives for establishing constructive relations with the heirs of Altshuller’s works. We addressed to V.N. Zhuravleva with cooperation proposals many times. Together with MA TRIZ several joint projects aimed at keeping the memory of H.S. Altshuller (MA TRIZ project «Memorial Board») and publishing his books (MA TRIZ project «Publishing the book «To find an idea»). Cumulative experience of the heirs together with MA TRIZ can be useful ex. when publishing other books by Altshuller. We feel sure that joint work of the heirs of Altshuller’s works and MA TRIZ will contribute to the development of TRIZ movement more than our separate activity.

7. V.N. Zhuravle va wrote in her letter that she advocates the right to use TRIZ freely and without any limits. MA TRIZ supports the same idea. However there are different points of view on this issue. MA TRIZ considers TRIZ to be more than the word: it is also main, basic concepts and instruments of the theory such as ARIZ, standards, rules and other elements of TRIZ. Today TRIZ has a dual nature. From the point of view of the heirs of Altshuller’s works TRIZ is first of all the books, static and stable legal objects. MA TRIZ advocates professional, effective and developing TRIZ. TRIZ can’t stand still. We need an open and direct dialogue discussed above to satisfy both the heirs of Altshuller’s works and MA TRIZ.

8. TRIZ has always been a mass voluntary movement which rested upon energy and resources of H.S. Altshuller’s followers. V.N Zhuravleva insists on the prohibition on open publication of information got from Altshuller personally some time ago at the Internet sites. These prohibitions surprise and disappoint enthusiasts of TRIZ development. The heirs of Altshuller’s works want to have total control of TRIZ use. This can not contribute to the popularization of TRIZ, quite the contrary such control will stop the development of TRIZ theory. At the Internet site of H.S. Altshuller’s Fund the biography of H.S. Altshuller is published but it is not mentioned that Altshuller was the founder and the first President of MA TRIZ. We ask managers of the Fund’s site to include this important for TRIZ movement fact into the biography of H.S. Altshuller.

In the context of organizing cooperation to develop the common cause MA TRIZ suggests Altshuller’s Fund to organize mutual information support and cooperation aimed at developing and popularizing TRIZ.

9. MA TRIZ develops in compliance with the plan drafted by H.S. Altshuller. There are regional TRIZ organizations all over the world (31 organizations from more than 10 countries are the members of MA TRIZ, 5 organizations more get ready to be registered). MA TRIZ works on creating a youth TRIZ movement. Lots of different events are held in MA TRIZ: conferences, seminars, contests, certification and attestation of TRIZ specialists, publication of books and materials concerning TRIZ, methods and research work is being organized, etc. MA TRIZ established Expert Board, Methods Board, organized publication of MA TRIZ bulletin. Many different mechanisms necessary for the development of TRIZ as a science and social movement were created and develop successfully. The work of the International TRIZ Association is aimed at realization of these plans.

10. We ask V.N. Zhuravleva to send this letter in corpore with the enclosure to everyone who has got the previous letter with the claims to MA TRIZ. We feel sure that this first of all will let TRIZmen to judge the situation impartially, and will show that MA TRIZ strives for the real cooperation aimed at developing the work of our Teacher H.S. Altshuller – MA TRIZ President (1997-1998).
V.V. Mitrophanov, President of MA TRIZ (1999-2001),
M.S. Gaphitulin, President of MA TRIZ (2001-2003),
M.S. Rubin, President of MA TRIZ since 2003.