Certification -> Certification Regulations Level 4
Last Updated: February 12, 2025 by TRIZ Masters Dr. S.Litvin, Chairman of MATRIZ Official TMCC and Dr. O.Abramov, Academic Secretary of MATRIZ Official TMCC
Accepted: February 13, 2025 by the Board of MATRIZ Official
Approved: February 14, 2025 by the President of MATRIZ Official
1. General provisions
1.1. TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certificate, issued by the International TRIZ Official Association (MATRIZ Official), confirms that the holder is a high level TRIZ specialist, who possesses profound knowledge of TRIZ and advanced skills in using TRIZ tools in compliance with MATRIZ Official requirements.
1.2. The main goals of introducing the TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification are:
- Official recognition of high qualification of certified TRIZ specialists and confirmation that as of the date of certification TRIZ Level 4 Specialists have acquired profound theoretical knowledge of TRIZ and possess required skills for practical use of TRIZ tools in compliance with MATRIZ Official requirements
- Intensification of research activities in TRIZ and public recognition of the personal contribution of researchers to the development of TRIZ and to the practical application of TRIZ
- Intensification of practical application of TRIZ and public recognition of personal contribution of TRIZ practitioners and TRIZ trainers.
1.3. The Certification Committee 4 (CC4) is formed for a period of 2 years from the list of TRIZ Masters and Level 4 Specialists. Neither the President, nor the Executive Director of MATRIZ Official are allowed to be a CC4 member. The list of permanent CC4 members is reviewed and approved by the MATRIZ Official TMCC not later than one week after submission of the list and published on MATRIZ Official website.
The Chair of the CC4 is appointed by the Chair of МАTRIZ Official TMCC for the same term (2 years). The Chair of CC4 directs its activities, presides at CC4 sessions or appoints the Chair from among the members of the CC4.
1.4. The candidate must work under the supervision of a scientific advisor who is at least a Level 4 TRIZ Specialist certified by MATRIZ or MATRIZ Official. If a scientific advisor is certified by another TRIZ organization, the MATRIZ Official TMCC will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to approve that person as a scientific advisor.
1.5. TRIZ Level 4 certificate is awarded for demonstrated capability to apply various TRIZ tools within one of the following three directions:
- TRIZ-related research and development (for TRIZ developers/researchers)
- Solving tough practical problems (for TRIZ practitioners), or
- Effective TRIZ education (for TRIZ trainers/teachers).
1.6. TRIZ Level 4 certificate is awarded based on a qualification work (thesis).
1.7. Certified TRIZ Level 4 Specialists have the following equal rights, regardless of the date the diploma was issued:
- To be elected as members of:
- MATRIZ Official Board
- Committee on TRIZ Level 4 Specialists Certification
- Other MATRIZ Official governing bodies, which require appropriate qualification.
- To individually conduct certification of TRIZ specialists (of up to Level 2) after obtaining accreditation from MATRIZ Official Certification Committee.
1.8. The present Regulations and any amendments to them must be accepted by the Board of МАTRIZ Official and approved by the President of МАTRIZ Official. Amendments shall not have retroactive effect.
2. Requirements for Level 4 candidates
2.1. Every candidate must:
- Be certified on Level 3 by MATRIZ Official or MATRIZ
- Have at least 1 year pass from the moment of Level 3 certificate issuance
- Submit an abstract of the thesis in English
If a candidate is certified to Level 3 by another TRIZ organization, they must submit their Level 3 work based on which they were certified, and the MATRIZ Official’s Level 4 Certification Committee shall decide whether to accept this Level 3 certificate.
2.2. The candidate for L4 Certification must have:
- TRIZ practitioners - experience of practical inventive activity, which can be confirmed by not less than 3 patents or published patent applications for inventions, implementation of obtained solutions, published case studies in publications of recognized quality as determined by TMCC review.
- TRIZ developers/researchers - not fewer than three published works on TRIZ (including abstracts of papers presented at conferences) in publications of recognized quality as determined by TMCC review
- TRIZ trainers/teachers - experience of conducting training on TRIZ, supported by a list of conducted seminars, programs of such seminars with convincing proof of their effectiveness, plus case studies and tests for attendees in publications of recognized quality as determined by TMCC review.
3. Requirements for Level 4 thesis
3.1. To pass Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification, the candidate must prepare a qualification work (thesis).
3.2. The qualification work should be developed in English, which is the official MATRIZ Official language. If a candidate lacks knowledge of English, he/she must arrange for an interpreter. Certification can be conducted in the native language of the candidate provided CC4 members are proficient in that language and agree to conduct qualification work defense in that language. Any supplementary materials submitted by the candidate must also be translated into English.
3.3. Level 4 thesis should be written by the applicant alone. It should contain new useful results and assertions set forth by the author. It should be characterized by intrinsic unity and should be a manifestation of the personal contribution of the author.
3.4. If the candidate used generative AI to develop his/her thesis, it must be clearly indicated which parts of the thesis were developed using generative AI.
3.5. The thesis should demonstrate that the candidate is fluent in application of the following major TRIZ tools:
- Function Analysis
- Cause-Effect Chains Analysis
- Contradictions formulation and Principles of their resolving
- ARIZ (parts 1-5)
- Function-Oriented Search
- Trends of Engineered Systems Evolution
3.6. The volume of the thesis should be within 20-50 pages in English language. The volume of the thesis abstract should not exceed 5 pages. Both the abstract and the thesis are submitted in electronic form.
4. Level 4 certification procedure
4.0. General requirements
4.1. The candidate must send an application in English to the Chair of MATRIZ Official TMCC (copy to the Academic Secretary of the TMCC).
4.2. The application should contain:
- Letter to the Chair of MATRIZ Official TMCC requesting consideration of the application.
- Curriculum Vitae of the applicant with his contact information and a fresh photo - Level 3 TRIZ Specialist certificate number.
- Proof that the candidate has enough scientific or practical publications.
- Title and short (but no less than 1000 symbols) abstract of the thesis.
- The thesis itself.
- The advisor’s official review.
4.3. All TMCC and CC4 members must have access to all candidate’s thesis materials.
4.4. The timeline and steps of the review process are as follows:
- Candidates submit their certification materials. Before submission, candidates collaborate with their thesis advisors, using the “Critical Errors in Submitted Reports for L4 Certification” document to address potential common errors in the candidate’s submission.
- Initial review by (within 2 weeks of submission) Reviewers evaluate the materials for compliance with key standards, focusing on whether advisors have effectively identified the most common critical errors.
- CC4 feedback to candidates Candidates receive detailed, actionable feedback, highlighting any unresolved issues (if applicable).
- Candidates respond to feedback (within 2 weeks of receiving feedback) Candidates submit revisions and/or explanations addressing all identified issues.
- Second review by (within 2 weeks of receiving revisions) Reviewers evaluate the revised submission to confirm whether the concerns have been fully addressed.
- Postponement policy for repeated errors. If the revised thesis still contains the same critical errors identified in the first review, the thesis submission are postponed by 6 months.
- Final voting Each CC4 member casts a yes/no vote on granting L4 certification
- If the number of ‘yes’ votes exceeds ‘no’ votes, the L4 certification is granted.
- In the event of a tie, the CC4 Chair casts an additional vote.
- If the number of ‘no’ votes exceeds the number of ‘yes’ votes, a candidate has rights to apply again after 6 months.
4.5. The Chair of the МАTRIZ Official TMCC formally recognizes the decision of CC4 (after checking it for compliance with provisions and regulations accepted in МАTRIZ Official) and hands it over to the President of МАTRIZ Official for an approval. After approval by the President, the Secretariat of the President prepares and sends to the new TRIZ Level 4 Specialist a certificate, which is signed by МАTRIZ Official President and Chair of the TMCC. МАTRIZ Official seal certify the signatures.
4.6. A TRIZ specialist certified for the 4th Level receives a certificate on a special form of MATRIZ Official. The basis for TRIZ Level 4 - the research in TRIZ methodology, achievements in the practical application of TRIZ, or achievements in TRIZ training - is indicated in the certificate in addition to the name of a new TRIZ Level 4 specialist.
4.7. Information on a new TRIZ Level 4 Specialist should be published on the website of МАTRIZ Official within a week after the thesis approval, provided the certification fee is paid. The recorded CC4 session will be available for registered members of MATRIZ Official. For non-members this record will be available for a fee.
4.8. All disputable issues on decisions of the CC4 should be addressed by the МАTRIZ Official TMCC and be approved by the President of МАTRIZ Official.