Research focus and example topics

Projects in this Division focus on how inventions and ventures are created systematically—using methodology rather than guesswork. Typical directions include:

• TRIZ-based invention workflows: contradiction discovery, solution principles, and concept generation

• Innovation strategy and opportunity mapping grounded in evidence (not marketing claims)

• Research-to-venture translation: converting scientific insight into a validated product direction

• Prototype specification and validation planning (technical and/or market validation)

• Responsible venture building: constraints, risk mapping, stakeholder analysis, and execution roadmaps

• IP and defensibility thinking (when appropriate): novelty framing, claim boundaries, and prior-art awareness

Mentorship model

Accepted Remote Fellows join from around the world and work on milestone-driven innovation projects aligned with their background, readiness, and topic fit. When supervisors are available, Fellows are matched to a supervisor and contribute to research-grade outputs such as: invention dossiers, contradiction maps, concept portfolios, validation logs, prototype specifications, early product architecture notes, and execution roadmaps that can support credible next steps.

TRIZ, validation discipline, and ethical AI use

We treat innovation as a disciplined process. Fellows learn to turn problems into structured hypotheses, design validation steps, and document decisions and evidence. TRIZ may be applied to resolve design contradictions (for example: cost vs. performance, speed vs. reliability, simplicity vs. capability) and to generate higher-quality solution directions. AI tools may be used ethically to accelerate market and competitor mapping, stakeholder synthesis, opportunity scanning, risk assessment, and structured drafting — but the Fellow remains responsible for verification, correctness, and intellectual ownership, with proper attribution and evidence standards.

What success looks like

The objective is not “generic entrepreneurship content.” The objective is the ability to produce credible, defensible innovation outputs: clear hypotheses, validated assumptions, documented experiments (technical or market), and a realistic pathway from prototype to product—grounded in constraints and integrity.

Pathways to join the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Division

Option A — Pre-Fellowship Preparation (recommended if you are not yet ready)

Choose this route if you want to build a strong foundation before applying to the Fellowship. The preparation track helps you:

• define a real problem with stakeholders, constraints, and measurable success criteria

• build a basic portfolio (problem brief, concept map, validation plan)

• learn disciplined validation workflows (assumptions, experiments, evidence logs)

• produce a “readiness package” for merit-based selection

Suggested Pre-Fellowship starting tasks (examples):

• Write a 1–2 page problem brief: who, what pain, constraints, what “success” means, what would falsify it.

• Create a TRIZ contradiction map with 3–5 solution directions and short rationale.

• Build a concept portfolio (5–10 concepts) with selection criteria and trade-off notes.

• Draft a validation plan: assumptions → tests → evidence → decision gates.

Outcome: you finish with verifiable artifacts that make your Fellowship application strong and merit-based.

Option B — Apply directly to the NanoTRIZ Innovation Fellowship

Choose this route if you already have evidence of readiness (projects, prototypes, publications, venture work, strong domain background) and you are ready to deliver measurable outputs within 6–12 months.

Strong signals for direct Fellowship entry:

• public artifacts (decks, prototypes, repos, reports, case studies)

• evidence of validation discipline (experiments, interviews, benchmarks, decision logs)

• a realistic roadmap with milestones, risks, and measurable gates

• ability to commit to milestone-driven work and professional documentation

What to include in your application (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Division)

To be evaluated on merit, submit:

• Output links: GitHub / OSF / portfolio / reports / prototypes (required where available)

• Top 5 skills + evidence: each with a proof link (required)

• Project proposal (1 page): problem, stakeholders, constraints, hypothesis, milestones, risks, validation plan

• Resources: tools, team access, domain access (if relevant)

Example project proposals that fit this Division:

• TRIZ-driven invention dossier for a real constraint-heavy problem with validation gates

• research-to-product translation plan for a scientific insight with prototype specification

• concept portfolio + selection criteria + early prototype architecture for an innovation direction

• disciplined customer/stakeholder discovery study with evidence logs and decision outcomes

• defensibility and prior-art-aware positioning of an invention direction (without overclaiming)