TRIZ (pronounced "trees") is the (Russian) acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving – a methodology for systematic innovation.
It was developed in the former Soviet Union beginning in the 1940s by Genrich Altshuller and his colleagues. Altshuller and his colleagues studied hundreds of thousands of Russian patents to understand innovation and creativity. What resulted is TRIZ. The innovation methodology is based on the principles that technical systems evolve according to a defined set of rules and that problems requiring inventive solutions can be solved methodically. If the underlying rules are learned, then they can be applied to "new" problems – innovation can be taught.
October 15th was his birthday and TRIZ practitioners worldwide remember him gratefully.