NANOTriz Terms of Appointment, Participation and Role Definitions

NanoTRIZ Innovation Institute — General Terms and Program Schedules
Effective date: 15 January 2026
Entity: NanoTRIZ® Innovation Institute (ABN 60 349 600 938), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Operated by: Professor Alexander A. Solovev
Contact: founder@nanotriz.com

0. Acceptance and Purpose
By applying for, accepting, or participating in any NanoTRIZ program, pathway, appointment, or collaboration, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms of Appointment, Participation and Role Definitions (“Terms”).
NanoTRIZ may update these Terms from time to time. Updated Terms apply prospectively from the effective date shown on the website or in the revised document.

These Terms explain:

1. the nature and status of NanoTRIZ programs and appointments,

2. the role definitions and participation categories used by NanoTRIZ,

3. fees, scholarships, infrastructure contributions, and access models,

4. public representation, titles, and affiliation wording,

5. integrity, confidentiality, and IP boundaries,

6. special rules for school-age participants and under-18 applicants,

7. and schedule-specific rules that apply to individual pathways.

If a specific offer letter, program page, signed agreement, or schedule states additional or more specific conditions, those more specific conditions apply to that pathway or appointment.

1. Status and Scope

• NanoTRIZ Innovation Institute is an independent private research and education initiative operated in Australia under ABN 60 349 600 938.

• NanoTRIZ is a private research and innovation entity. It is not a university and does not hold itself out as a registered Australian higher education provider unless such status is separately obtained and publicly confirmed.

• Where required by law, business registrations are maintained in accordance with applicable Australian regulations.

• NanoTRIZ’s ABN registration status may be independently checked through ABN Lookup, the public view of the Australian Business Register.

1.1 Non-Accredited Status (TEQSA / AQF)

1. NanoTRIZ is not a TEQSA-registered higher education provider.

2. NanoTRIZ does not award AQF degrees, recognised higher education qualifications, accredited university credit, or TEQSA-regulated academic awards.

3. Any role, title, certificate, pathway, or appointment issued by NanoTRIZ is issued within the framework of a private, non-accredited research and innovation environment.

4. Students in Australia can check whether an organisation is a registered higher education provider through TEQSA’s National Register.

1.2 Program Definition
NanoTRIZ offers structured, deliverables-driven pathways, appointments, and collaborative environments for research, innovation, academic skill development, AI-enabled workflows, and related project work delivered through a distributed international community.

These may include, without limitation:

• Fellowship appointments,

• Scholar pathways,

• small-group mentored capstone tracks,

• technical builder tracks,

• visiting affiliate collaboration,

• and project-specific contribution arrangements.

1.3 Nature of NanoTRIZ Appointments and Participation
NanoTRIZ roles and pathways are internal program designations and participation categories.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise in a signed written agreement:

• they are not employment positions,

• they are not university appointments,

• they are not accredited academic appointments,

• and they do not create any right to academic rank, salary, migration benefit, or recognised higher education status.

Academic descriptors such as Senior High School, Undergraduate, Graduate, Doctoral, or Postdoctoral are used only to indicate typical participant background and expected autonomy. They do not imply enrolment, degree candidacy, university supervision, academic credit, or recognised institutional standing within Australian higher education.

1.4 No Accredited Curriculum-Based Teaching / No Recognised Academic Awards
NanoTRIZ does not provide recognised higher education teaching programs or recognised higher education awards.
Any workshops, mentorship, review cycles, templates, pathway structures, digital research environments, guidance materials, or small-group discussions offered by NanoTRIZ are provided as part of a private, non-accredited research and innovation environment. They do not constitute recognised higher education instruction, graded university assessment, or recognised academic credit.

2. Classification of Roles and Participation Categories
NanoTRIZ participants may be placed into categories, levels, or tracks based on experience, maturity, program type, readiness, and expected autonomy.

2.1 Academic Research Stream

Level 1: Junior Research Scholar
Typical eligibility: Senior high school students (or equivalent), and selected early undergraduate participants in approved school-facing pathways.
Typical focus: Guided development of research readiness, literature mapping, ethical AI-assisted workflows, structured academic writing, and verifiable portfolio outputs within a supervised small-group environment.
Note: Additional pathway-specific conditions for school-age participants may apply under Schedule 2 — Junior Research Scholar – Pre-University Capstone Track.

Level 2: Undergraduate Research Scholar
Typical eligibility: Current Bachelor’s students or equivalent.
Typical focus: Literature reviews, structured evidence mapping, academic synthesis, early patent or innovation landscape scanning, and defined module-level output ownership.

Level 3: Graduate Research Fellow
Typical eligibility: Current Master’s students or equivalent.
Typical focus: Advanced synthesis, comparative technology frameworks, methodological planning, and portfolio or manuscript development at higher complexity.

Level 4: Pre-Doctoral Fellow
Typical eligibility: Graduates holding a Master’s degree and preparing for doctoral-level research.
Typical focus: Lead drafting of technical white papers, advanced academic writing, structured proposal materials, and higher-level independent output development.

Level 5: Doctoral Fellow
Typical eligibility: Enrolled PhD candidates or equivalent.
Typical focus: Methodology review, quality control, mentoring of junior contributors, and ensuring scientific rigor within project groups.

Level 6: Senior Research Fellow
Typical eligibility: Postdoctoral researchers, PhD holders, or equivalent senior contributors.
Typical focus: Strategic research planning, project leadership, pilot execution, cross-team coordination, and high-level standards oversight.

Level 7: Principal Investigator / Distinguished Fellow
Typical eligibility: Professors, senior researchers, or senior industry experts.
Typical focus: High-level scientific direction, methodology approval, final peer review, and strategic sign-off where appointed.

Level 8: Research Division Director
Typical eligibility: Distinguished senior contributors with a proven track record.
Typical focus: Divisional leadership, thematic strategy, planning oversight, and reporting to the Founding Director.

2.2 Specialised Streams
Venture Fellow (Builder Track)
For technical architects, coders, engineers, and AI builders contributing to internal tools, systems, or venture-style infrastructure.
Unless expressly stated in a separate signed agreement:
 

• Venture Fellowship does not create employment,

• does not grant equity,

• and does not create ownership rights.

Commercial participation, equity, revenue share, or other compensation applies only where expressly granted in writing.

Research Group Leader
A project-based internal role for senior contributors who coordinate a team or work package.
This role supports execution and internal review, but does not itself override any designated PI, Co-PI, or scientific sign-off authority unless expressly delegated in writing.

3. External Collaborators (Non-Fellowship)
Visiting Research Affiliate
A senior external collaborator who maintains a primary home affiliation while participating in defined NanoTRIZ-related outputs or collaborations.
Technical Contributor
A specialist contributing defined skills to a project, output, or technical deliverable under project-specific terms.
External collaborators are not necessarily Fellows and may be governed by separate project-specific conditions.

4. Nature of Participation

4.1 Merit-Based Selection
Admission, shortlisting, appointment, or pathway placement may be based on record review, readiness, skills, maturity, output potential, interview performance, or other merit-based factors determined by NanoTRIZ.
NanoTRIZ retains sole discretion over admissions and appointments.

4.2 Non-Employment Status
Unless expressly stated in a separate signed written agreement:

• NanoTRIZ participation is non-employment in nature,

• participants are not employees,

• participants are not entitled to employee benefits,

• and participants are not entitled to wages, superannuation, leave, or employment entitlements.

4.3 Advancement and Progression
Progression within NanoTRIZ is based on quality, integrity, readiness, contribution, and suitability — not simply time spent.

4.4 No Guarantees
NanoTRIZ does not guarantee:

• publication acceptance,

• scholarship success,

• university admission,

• grant funding,

• patent approval,

• Fellowship appointment,

• visa or migration outcomes,

• employment outcomes,

• or any external result.

4.5 No Authority to Bind NanoTRIZ
Unless explicitly authorised in writing, no participant or collaborator may sign contracts, make binding commitments, collect payments, or represent themselves as acting as a legal agent of NanoTRIZ.

5. Fees, Scholarships and Infrastructure Access

5.1 General Principle
Fees, scholarships, infrastructure contributions, and access models may vary by track, role, schedule, appointment, or offer letter.
Some NanoTRIZ pathways may use:

• a monthly platform access fee,

• an annual digital lab and research infrastructure contribution,

• a fee-exempt model,

• or another expressly stated structure.

5.2 Purpose of Contributions
Any participation fee, access fee, or infrastructure contribution is intended to support the digital, operational, collaborative, and administrative infrastructure required to execute the relevant program or pathway.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, such contributions do not constitute tuition for an accredited award, and do not purchase:
 

• authorship,

• publication acceptance,

• recommendation letters,

• admission outcomes,

• or appointed status.

5.3 Track-Specific Models
Specific pricing, scholarship coverage, optional third-party costs, and payment conditions for each pathway are described in:

• the relevant program page,

• the applicable schedule,

• and/or the participant’s offer letter.

5.4 Optional Third-Party Costs
Where relevant to an approved project, optional third-party disbursements such as:

• ISBN purchase,

• conference registration,

• professional formatting,

• repository hosting beyond ordinary scope,

• or external IP filing costs
  may be quoted separately or included only if expressly stated in writing.

6. Academic Integrity and Ethical AI Use
NanoTRIZ requires all participants to act with honesty, responsibility, attribution discipline, and respect for evidence.
Participants must not:

• plagiarise,

• fabricate data,

• falsify sources,

• outsource original work dishonestly,

• misrepresent AI-generated content as independent authorship,

• or submit ghostwritten or purchased work as their own.

Participants must disclose AI assistance where required, verify material claims, and remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of any AI-assisted content used in their work.
TEQSA publicly warns students about contract cheating and illegal cheating services, including services that outsource student work.
NanoTRIZ may suspend, revoke, or terminate participation, titles, references, public profile listings, or future eligibility where academic integrity or ethical AI rules are breached.

7. Intellectual Property and Background Materials
7.1 Background IP
NanoTRIZ claims no ownership over a participant’s pre-existing intellectual property, materials, portfolio work, or background know-how unless expressly transferred in a separate signed written agreement.

7.2 Pathway Outputs
For non-commercial school-facing and standard research pathways, participants generally retain ownership of their original non-commercial work unless otherwise agreed in writing.

7.3 Commercial and Venture Projects
IP created in commercial, venture, or externally funded projects may be governed by separate signed agreements, including IP assignment terms where required.

7.4 Display Rights
NanoTRIZ may display participant outputs publicly only where:

• consent has been granted,

• or the relevant agreement expressly permits such display.

7.5 Confidentiality
Participants must not disclose confidential information, proprietary research, private project materials, or third-party IP without permission.

8. Official Verification, Titles and Public Representation

NanoTRIZ may provide documentation such as:

• certificates of participation or appointment,

• title verification letters,

• contribution letters,

• evidence-based reference letters,

• or other verification materials at NanoTRIZ’s discretion.

NanoTRIZ titles are internal functional designations. They do not confer:

• academic rank,

• employment status,

• university faculty standing,

• or equivalence to TEQSA-regulated roles.

8.1 Approved Representation
Participants may describe their involvement only using wording approved by NanoTRIZ for their track or appointment.

8.2 Primary vs Secondary Affiliation
If a participant has a primary university or employer affiliation, NanoTRIZ should normally be listed as secondary or affiliate participation unless that primary affiliation has ended.

9. Prohibited Representation
No participant may represent NanoTRIZ in a way that falsely implies:

9.1 Employment
Examples prohibited unless genuinely true and formally documented:

• Employee at NanoTRIZ

• Full-time Staff at NanoTRIZ

• Research Scientist at NanoTRIZ

• Manager at NanoTRIZ

9.2 University Faculty Rank
Examples prohibited unless formally true and separately documented:

• Professor at NanoTRIZ

• Assistant Professor at NanoTRIZ

• Lecturer at NanoTRIZ

• Faculty Member at NanoTRIZ

9.3 Enrolment or Student Status at NanoTRIZ
Examples prohibited:

• Student at NanoTRIZ

• Enrolled at NanoTRIZ

• PhD Candidate at NanoTRIZ

9.4 Accredited Higher Education Status
Examples prohibited:

• NanoTRIZ University

• NanoTRIZ Graduate School

• Accredited Degree Provider

• Any TEQSA/AQF implication that is not true

9.5 Unapproved Fellowship Claims
No participant may claim Fellowship title, Fellowship status, or institutional appointment wording unless formally granted under separate merit-based NanoTRIZ review.
NanoTRIZ may require immediate correction of any misleading public statement and may suspend or terminate participation for repeated or serious misrepresentation.

10. Under-18 Participants
Participants under 18:

• require parent or guardian consent before confirmation,

• may be restricted from commercial or confidential activities,

• may require parental involvement in communications and payment matters,

• and are subject to Schedule 3 — Parent / Guardian Consent Addendum.

11. Suspension, Withdrawal and Termination
NanoTRIZ may suspend, reject, withdraw, or terminate participation where:

• conduct breaches integrity rules,

• documentation is false or misleading,

• payment terms are not met,

• parent/guardian consent is not maintained where required,

• a participant misrepresents NanoTRIZ publicly,

• or continued participation is judged unsuitable.
   

Participants may also withdraw according to the relevant offer terms, payment conditions, or schedule-specific rules.

12. Governing Law and Severability
These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia.
If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect.

13. Contact / Notices
Questions and notices related to these Terms should be sent to:
Founder / Program Administration
founder@nanotriz.com
Schedule 1 — Global Research Fellowship Terms
This Schedule applies to participants formally admitted to the NanoTRIZ Global Research Fellowship.

S1. Fellowship Nature
The Global Research Fellowship is a structured, deliverables-driven program for collaborative research and innovation participation within NanoTRIZ’s private research environment.

S2. Fellowship Appointment
Fellowship appointment is merit-based and separate from school-facing pre-fellowship pathways.
Formal Fellowship wording may be granted only after NanoTRIZ’s independent review and appointment process.

S3. Fellowship Pricing Model
Where stated on the relevant program page or offer letter, certain Fellowship participants may be subject to a monthly Platform Access Fee or another expressly stated access model.
The purpose of such payment is cost recovery for infrastructure, compute, tools, and administrative systems. It is not tuition for an accredited award.

S4. Verification
NanoTRIZ may issue Fellowship-related documentation such as:

• Certificate of Appointment,

• Contribution Letter / Reference,

• Title Verification.

Any such documentation remains subject to documented performance and NanoTRIZ discretion.

S5. Commercial Transitions
High-performing Fellows may be invited into separate commercial, venture, or industry projects under separate written agreements.
Schedule 2 — Junior Research Scholar – Pre-University Capstone Track Terms
This Schedule applies to participants in the Junior Research Scholar – Pre-University Capstone Track.

C1. Track Nature
The Pre-University Capstone Track is a pre-fellowship, school-facing mentored pathway within the broader NanoTRIZ ecosystem.
It is intended for ambitious Senior High School students and selected early Undergraduate students who wish to build a serious academic portfolio in a small-group environment.
It is not itself a formal Fellowship appointment.

C2. Cohort Structure
The track is delivered in a small-group mentored format, typically with up to 5 participants in a cohort.
NanoTRIZ may vary cohort size or structure where operationally necessary.

C3. Educational Model
The track may include topic refinement, research mapping, ethical AI workflows, literature synthesis, structured academic writing, portfolio development, documentation practice, and guided output development.
Possible outputs may include, depending on topic fit, readiness, and supervision capacity:
 

• Research Brief,

• Literature Map,

• Reproducible Artifact,

• Ethical AI Use Log,

• scientific paper draft or mini-review,

• structured non-fiction review or monograph draft,

• conference abstract and talk materials,

• innovation dossier,

• or structured preparation for a possible provisional patent pathway.

These are possible outputs only and are not guaranteed.

C4. Merit Scholarship and Infrastructure Contribution
Where stated in the offer or program page, the educational value of the track, including mentor supervision, structured review, and program design, may be covered by a NanoTRIZ Merit Scholarship.
Participants may contribute only a Digital Lab & Research Infrastructure Contribution, as stated on the relevant pricing page or offer letter.
This contribution supports the digital and operational systems required to run the track and is not payment for:

• authorship,

• publication acceptance,

• recommendation letters,

• university admission,

• or Fellowship appointment.

C5. Optional Third-Party Costs
Where relevant to an approved project, optional third-party costs such as ISBN purchase, conference registration, professional formatting, or external IP filing costs may be quoted separately.
For provisional patent-related matters, NanoTRIZ may support early-stage preparation only. Any formal filing remains subject to separate process, cost, and external requirements. IP Australia explains that a provisional application requires filing a provisional specification and carries its own fee structure.

C6. Approved Title and CV Use
Participants in this track may describe participation accurately using wording such as:
Participant, Junior Research Scholar – Pre-University Capstone Track, NanoTRIZ Innovation Institute (Australia)
Participants in this track may not claim:
 

• Research Fellow status,

• Fellowship appointment,

• accredited university enrolment,

• or any formal NanoTRIZ title not expressly granted.

C7. Reference Letters and Outcome Verification
Where warranted by documented performance, NanoTRIZ may issue a detailed evidence-based reference letter describing:
 

• completed outputs,

• observed skills,

• ethical AI practice,

• communication ability,

• independence,

• consistency,

• and contribution to the cohort.

Such letters are:

• not automatic,

• not sold,

• and not issued in exchange for fees.

C8. No Automatic Fellowship Progression
Completion of the Capstone Track does not automatically grant Fellowship status.
Strong participants may later be considered for separate Fellowship review under NanoTRIZ’s merit-based process.

C9. School-Facing Integrity Rule
This track must never be interpreted as ghostwriting, bought authorship, outsourced academic work, or guaranteed admissions support.
The student remains responsible for the intellectual work.
Schedule 3 — Parent / Guardian Consent Addendum
This Schedule applies to participants under 18.

P1. Consent Requirement
No under-18 applicant may be confirmed in a NanoTRIZ school-facing pathway without parent or guardian consent.

P2. Parent/Guardian Role
The parent or guardian acknowledges that:

• NanoTRIZ is a private, non-accredited research and innovation entity,

• the pathway is selective and mentored,

• participation does not guarantee external outcomes,

• and the student remains responsible for their own intellectual work.

P3. Communication
NanoTRIZ may communicate with the parent or guardian regarding:

• application review,

• offer status,

• payment matters,

• safeguarding-related issues,

• participation concerns,

• and program administration.

P4. Payment Acknowledgement
Where payment is required, the parent or guardian acknowledges the applicable pricing structure, contribution model, refund conditions if any, and any separately quoted third-party costs.

P5. Safeguarding and Boundaries
Parent or guardian consent does not create a duty of custodial supervision beyond the defined scope of the online program environment.
NanoTRIZ may set boundaries on communication channels, participation timing, documentation requirements, and access to confidential, commercial, or higher-risk project activities.

P6. Withdrawal of Consent
If parent or guardian consent is withdrawn, NanoTRIZ may pause or terminate the student’s participation, subject to the applicable payment and withdrawal terms.

P7. Accuracy of Information
The parent or guardian confirms that information provided in support of the student’s application is accurate to the best of their knowledge.