sign in sign up
<<
Home , Devnya, Gabrovo, Ihtiman, Pleven, Plovdiv, Rakovski (town)

GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC PROPERTY ORGANIZATION OF

SELECTED PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

organized by the Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Plovdiv, Bulgaria November 12 to 15, 1985

GENEVA, 1987 The cover page shows a (ancient drinking horn) made of silver and gold which was found in Bulgaria as a part of a famous Thracian gold treasure that dated from 385-350 B.C.

WIPO PUBLICATION No 655(E)

ISBN 92-805-0176-3

~ WIPO 1937 FOREWORD

The present volume contains the texts of 12 papers presented at the International Seminar on "Inventiveness for Development Purposes" which took place in , Bulgaria, in November 1985.

The Seminar was organized jointly by the Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the World Intellectual ~ Property Organization (WIPO). It was held in conjunction with the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors "Bulgaria'85", which also took place in Plovdiv at the same time and which was co-organized by the and WIPO. At that exhibition, more than 4,200 inventions of young people from some 70 countries, including over 50 developing countries, were displayed.

The aim of the Seminar was to give prominence to the important role of technological innovation in economic and social development and to provide the opportunity to government officials, researchers, representatives of industry and inventors from developing, socialist and industrialized market-economy countries to exchange experiences and ideas.

The Seminar was attended by more than 300 participants from 29 countries, namely, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ethiopia, , German Democratic Republic, (Federal Republic of), Honduras, India, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, , Morocco, Nepal, , Peru, , , , Sudan, Surinam, , Yugoslavia and Zimbabwe.

The Seminar focused on selected topics of particular importance to the promotion of inventive activity and technological innovation. Those topics were covered by the 12 papers published in the present volume. The papers are the contributions of experts from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, the Philippines, the Soviet Union, Sweden and the of America, as well as an official from WIPO.

The publication of the said papers is a welcome occasion for WIPO to renew its warmest thanks to the Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, to the Bulgarian co-organizers of the Seminar and the Bulgarian Organizer of the World Exhibition for their having ensured the exceptional success of the Seminar and the World Exhibition.

Geneva, August 1987 a ,~at~ .. f.... /' Arpad BoJ~h '-" Director General World Intellectual Organization Property

The President of the State Council of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. and the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Dr. Arpad Bogsch, visiting the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors "Bulgaria'85'', held from November 4 to 30, 1985 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page

Program of the Seminar 7

Closing Address of the Chairman of the Seminar ll

List of Participants 15

Selected Papers:

Creating a Better Environment for Inventiveness by Mr. F. Adriano, Director of the Philippine Invention Development Institute, Philippines 31

Creation of Optimum Conditions for Invention and Rationalization, by Mr. J. Hak, Lawyer, CSSR Office for Inventions and Discoveries, Czechoslovakia 43

Development of Inventiveness and Innovation in the People's Republic of Bulgaria, by Dr. Eng. K. Iliev, Director General of the Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Bulgaria 49

Inventiveness in Universities and Other Educational Institutions. The Role of Education: Groups, Clubs and Other Ways of Promoting Inventive Activity Among Young People, by Mr. L. Janke, Vice-President of the Office for Inventions and Patents of the German Democratic Republic 63

Fostering General Awareness of the Importance of Inventiveness, by Mr. G. Lewett, Chief, Office of Energy-Related Inventions, National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, United States of America 83

From the Exchange of Inventions to the Exchange of Methods, by Mr. A. Narbut, Mrs. N. Narbut, Researchers, Public Laboratory of Invention Theory, Soviet Union 99 6 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

page

Preparing Secondary School Students for Inventive and Innovative Activity, by Mrs. N. Nenova, Researcher, Vocational Training Research Institute, Bulgaria 105

Inventive Activity at the Enterprise Level, by Mr. E. Nyren, Director, National Swedish Board for Technical Development (STU), Sweden 111

WIPO Activities for the Promotion of Inventive Activity, by Mr. M. Porzio, Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization 127

The Public Organizations in the Soviet Union and their Endeavours to Establish Optimum Conditions for the Creative Activities of Inventors, by Mr. V. Y. Savinov, Head of Department, Central Council of the All-Union Society of Inventors and Rationalizers (VOIR), Soviet Union 147

Main Features of the Promotion of Inventive Activity in Socialist Countries, by Mr. R.P. Tchistjakov, Chief Examiner, USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries, Soviet Union 157

Some Psychological Problems Posed by the Promotion of Creative Activity in Inventors by Mr. V. Vassilkovsky, Researcher, Higher Institute of Mechanical and , Bulgaria. 177 7

PROGRAM OF THE SEMINAR

TUESDAY, November 12, 1985

09.30 - 10.00 Opening Ceremony and Presentation of Seminar Program

10.00 - 10.45 Introductory Lecture: "WIPO Activities for the Promotion of Inventive Activity", presented by Mr . M. Porzio, Deputy Director General, WIPO

11.00 - 11.45 Introductory Lecture: "Development of Inventiveness and Innovation in Bulgaria", presented by Dr.eng. K. Iliev, Director General of the Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Bulgaria

12.00 - 13.00 Tour of the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors - Bulgaria '85

14 . 30 - 15.15 Subject 1:

"Fostering General Awareness of the Importance of Inventiveness", presented by Mr . G. Lewett, Chief, Office of Energy Related Inventions, National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, United States of America

15.15 - 18.00 Discussion 8 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

WEDNESDAY, November 13, 1985

09.30 - 10.15 Subject 2:

"Main Features of the Promotion of Inventive Activity in Socialist Countries", presented by Mr. R.P. Tchistjakov, Chief Examiner, USSR State Committe for Inventions and Discoveries, Soviet Union

10.15 - 12.30 Discussion

14.30 - 15.15 Subject 3

"Creating a Better Environment for Inventiveness", presented by Mr. F. Adriano, Director of the Philippine Invention Development Institute, Philippines

15.15 - 16.30 Discussion

THURSDAY, November 14, 1985

09.30 - 10.15 Subject 4:

"Inventiveness in Universities and Other Educational Institutions. The Role of Education: Groups, Clubs and Other Ways of Promoting Inventive Activity Among Young People", presented by Mr. L. Janke, Vice-President of the Of fice for Inventions and Patents of the German Democratic Republic

10.15 - 12.30 Discuss i on 9 PROGRAM

14.00 - 18.00 Visit to a school and Pioneer's Home in the of and trip to the winter resort of

FRIDAY, November 15, 1985

09.30 - 10.15 Subject 5:

"Inventive Activity at the Enterprise Level", presented by Mr. E. Nyren, Director, National Swedish Board for Technical Development (STU), Sweden

10.15 - 11.00 Disussion

11.15 - 13.00 Subject 6:

"Discussion on Legal Issues Related to Innovation"

14.30 - 15.30 Discussion on all subjects covered in the Seminar

15.30 - 16.15 Closing of the Seminar

Evening Award Ceremony of the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors - Bulgaria '85

*

CLOSING ADDRESS OF ACADEMICIAN DIMITAR SHOPOV, CHAIRMAN OF THE PROGRAMMING AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR "INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES"

We feel bound to express our satisfaction with the fact that more than 300 scientists, specialists and inventors have taken part in the International Seminar on "Inventiveness for Development Purposes," held here in this lovely room in Plovdiv. Two hundred and fifty of them are and about 80 are foreigners from 28 countries. Fifty-three papers from 12 countries have been presented during the Seminar. The event has been the main one in the framework of the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors - Bulgaria'85. The discussions have focused on the following main subjects:

Organization, approaches and aims of the activity of inventors in various countries. The place, role and objectives of WIPO in this process. The importance of international cooperation in the field of inventiveness; the relationship between developed and developing countries.

The milestones and problems of inventive activity have been dealt with in the main Seminar papers presented by Mr. Porzio, Dr. Iliev, Mr. Lewett, Mr. Tchistjakov, Mr. Adriano, Mr. Janke and Mr. Nyren.

Finally, the unanimous opinion has been expressed that the inventors' movement is one of the main motive forces behind the development and progress of humankind. 12 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

It has been found that quite frequently countries face the same problems, which are resolved by similar means, particularly as regards the organizational forms of inventive activities. At present it is necessary to comprehend those forms and to promote all inventors and creators in the field of technology, irrespective of differences of age, background and special qualifications, sex and social status.

This is imposed on us by the rate of development of society brought about by the scientific and technical revolution . Despite the extent of social and economic development achieved by a nation, it is not feasible to secure its future progress without making use of creative potential nationwide. This process takes place in a setting of continuous exchange of ideas among inventors from various States. Therefore the views presented at the Seminar and the experience exchanged with respect to international cooperation in the field of invention and innovation are of major importance to the participants and also to the organizers. In this connection we consider particularly important the establishment, during the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors, of an African Federation of Associations of Inventors and the particpation in our Seminar of Mr. Aksiman, the acting President of that Federation. The proposal made by the participant from Cuba, Mr. Garcia, for the creation of an International Association of Young Inventors was in a similar spirit.

In conclusion, we think it worth while to make the following proposals:

1. It is unanimously held that this Seminar must mark the beginning of a series of periodical seminars on these problems. 13 Closing Address

They could be organized on a regional basis or on more specialized topics, and the problems discussed summarized at a main seminar. I should like to say that Bulgaria is willing to be the host of such a seminar in the future.

2. All seminar papers should be printed and distributed among the interested countries and persons.

* * *

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

I. STATES

AFGHANISTAN

Mr. Mohammad Nasir, D.Y.O.A., Kabul University, Kabul

Mr. Mohammad Rawan Bukhsh Saber, Kabul University, Kabul

Mr. Mohammad Wasen, Kabul

Mr. Noor Ahmmad, D.Y.O.A., Kabul

ALGERIA

Mr. Abdel Kader Kessal, Head of Documentation, Innovation and Industrial Property Department, Directorate of Applied Research, National Steel Company, Annaba

CHINA

Mr. Sun Jia-Chang, Vice Chairman, All-China Youth Federation, Beijing

Mr. Cao Pei Sheng, Deputy Chief Engineer, Vice Chairman, China Association of Inventions,

CUBA

Mr. Guillermo Bernaza Rodriguez, Inventor, BTJ (youth technology team), Havana

Mrs. Alicia Fernandez Barreto, National Institute for Automated Systems and Computing Technology, Havana

Mr. Jorge Bernaza Mayor, Secretary, Permanent Delegation to the CMEA on Inventions, Havana

Mr. Ga r cia, Havana 16 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Mrs. Vera Weissova, Doctor of medecine,

Mr. Rames Bohdan, Patent Attorney, Vu Vzduchotechniky, Prague

Mr. Jan Hak, Lawyer, CSSR Office for Inventions and Discoveries, Prague

Mr. Walter Prestl, Constructor, VSZ-Kosice, Medzev

Mr. Jiri Matev, Designer, VZSKG Ostrava, Ostrava

Mr. Milos Gueyek, Head of Department, CSSR Office for Inventions and Discoveries, Prague

BULGARIA

Mr. Valentin Naidenov, Assenovgrad

Mr. Pavel Ikonomov, Geological Institute,

Mr. Borislav Atanassov, Telephone Works, Mrs Raina Bozhinova Mr. Vladimir Gergov

Mr. Christo , Higher Institute of Pedagogy, Mrs. Diana Mitova

Mr. Dyanko Dyakov, District Administration, Bourgas

Mrs. Ivanka Dobreva, Higher Institute for Chemical Technology, Bourg as Mrs. Katya Yankova

Mr. Stefan Atanassov, Bourgas

Mr. Todor Blagoev, Film Studios,

Mr. Nikolai Vlutchkov,

Mrs. Yordanka Atanassova, Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,

Mr. Stefan Kurtchinov, "Mechatronika", Gabrovo

Mr. Dimitar Gloushkov, TESMA, Gabrovo 17 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Mrs. Maria Kosheva, Economic Combinate for Non-Ferrous Metallurgy, "D. Blagoev", Gara

Mr. , Economic Combinate "Chemical Machinebuilding",

Mr. Christo Lazov, Electrode Works "Ihtimanska Komuna",

Mr. Ivan Petkov, Ihtiman

Mr. Lyubomir Koev, Combinate of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy, Kardzali Mr. Valentin Petkov

Mr. Simeon Dimitrov,

Mr. Ivailo Barev, Combinate for Ceramic Products,

Mrs. Stanka Stoilova, District Center for Youth Technical and Scientific Creativity,

Mr. Sasho Grigorov, Factory for Technical Products, Pernik

Mr. Velin Kovandjiski, Construction Works, Pernik

Mr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Metallurgical Combinate, Pernik Mr. Georgi Valkanov Mr. Ivan Stoikov Mrs. Katya Bulyanska Mrs. Rosalina Dakova

Mr. Ninko Christov, Mr. Ognyan Tzvetanov

Mr. Lyudmil Petrov, Economic Enterprise "Edelweiss'', Plovdiv

Mr. Petko Rashkov, Higher Institute for Medicine, Plovdiv Mr. Stoiko Zlatev

Mrs. Diana Yoncheva, Institute for Non-Ferrous Metallurgy, Plovdiv Mr. Simeon Simeonov

Mr. Tyanko Stoilov, Scientific Production Combinate "G. Dimitrov", Plovdiv

Mrs. Angela Notcheva, United Works for Computer Memories, Plovdiv

Mrs. Evgenya Shishkova, Chemical Works "P. Karaminchev'', Rousse Mrs. Todorka Tzaneva 18 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Mr. Dimitar Mitev, Higher Technical School, Rousse Mrs. Mina Staneva

Mrs. Yovalina Baleva, Railway Engine-shield, Rousse

Mr. Nedeltcho Botusharov, Rousse

Mr. Bilyu Bilev, Higher Institute of Finances and Accounting, Mr. Ivan Spiridonov Mrs. Mirna Moskova

Mr. Alexander Spassov, Academy of Medical Sciences, Mrs. Branimira Peneva Mr. Christo Rangelov Mr. Lyubomir Haralanov Mrs. Lyudmila Vangelova Mr. Miltcho Mintchev Mr. Nikolai Lambov Mr. Svetlozar Haralanov Mrs. Violeta Paskaleva Mr. Vladimir Vengelov

Mrs. Boika Mechenova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Mr. Ilko Eskenazy Mrs. Kinka Danailova Mr. Lyubomir Tzonev Mrs. Maria Ivanova Mr. Metodi Anatchkov Mrs. Milya Manovska Mr. Naiden Monchev Mr. Ognyan Asparukhov Mr. Ognyan Peshev Mrs. Radka Yaneva Mr. Siika Borissova Mrs. Totka Nuneva Mr. Yulian Ivanov

Mr. Evgeni Stoyanov, Institute of Founding and Technology of Metals, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Mrs. Lilyana Naidenova Mrs. Milka Vassileva Mrs. Stanka Draganova Mrs. Svetla Koleva

Mrs. Emilia Nikolova, Institute of Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia

Mr. Ivan Dulbokov, Institute of Technical Cybernetics and Robotics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia

Mr. Petko Loukanov, Bulgarian Chamber for Commerce and Industry, Sofia 19 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Mr. Borislav Borissov, Bulgarian Civil Aviation, Sofia Mr. Jossif Komestik

Mrs. Polina Oureykova, "BDZ", Sofia

Mr. Michail Kodzhabashev, Central Council of the Bulgarian Trade Unions, Sofia

Mrs. Boneta Shikalanova, Central Institute for , Sofia Mr. Dano Danov Mr. Ivan Michailov Mr. Kiril Mr. Krassimir Georgiev Mrs. Margarita Todorova Mr. Petko Michailov Mrs. Rositza Dobreva Mr. Stoyan Stanishev Mrs. Tzvetana Laleva Mr.

Mrs. Boryana Tzeneva, Central Institute for Complex Automation, Sofia Mrs. Olga Grigorova Mr. Stefka Savcheva

Mrs. Slavka Avramova, Central Institute for Computing Technology, Sofia Mrs. Svetla Mitropolitska

Mrs. Zdravkova, Central Institute for Scientific, Technological and Economic Information, Sofia Mr. Stefka Kaloyanova Mr. Yanko Yanchev

Mrs. Maya Igneva, Committee for Culture, Sofia

Mr. Panayot Dimitrov, Corporation Non-Ferrous Metals, Sofia

Mrs. Vessela Zacharieva, Engineering Economic Organization "Chimcomplect", Sofia

Mr. Borislav Kirov, Higher Institute for and Construction, Sofia Mr. Konstantin Mironov

Mr. Assen Bogdanov, Higher Institute of Economics "K. Marx", Sofia Mr. Botyo Borissov Mrs. Dora Marinova Mrs. Rositza Daskalova

Mr. Georgi Abrashev, Higher Institute of Forest Technology, Sofia 20 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Mr. Damyan Damyanov, Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering "LENIN", Sofia Mrs. Eleonora Valtcheva Mrs. Iliana Zaharieva Mr. Krassimir Dragolov Mr. Krassimir Sotirov Mrs. Lyubka Angelova Mrs. Neli Filipova Mrs. Nina Assenova Mr. Petko Petkov Mrs. Petya Hadzhiyanakieva Mrs. Reneta Dimitrova Mr. Stefan Stefanov Mrs. Valentyin Iliev Mrs. Vanya Velyanova Mrs. Veneta Panova

Mr. Vesselin Dimitrov, Higher Institute of Chemical Technology, Sofia Mr. Emil Lozanov Mr. Ilya Radulov Mrs. Krassimira Avramova Mr. Petko Petkov Mr. Plamen Kirilov Mrs. Rositza Natchkova Mrs. Yordanka Georgieva

Mr. Snezhana Vitkova, Institute of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Sofia Mr. Lyuben Piperov Mrs. Yossif Nissimov

Mrs. Dimitrina Spassova, Institute of Electrotechnical Industry, Sofia Mr. Vassil Dzambazov

Mr. Nikolai Mihalev, Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy, Sofia Mr. Simeon Ignatov Mr. Valentin Maltchiev Mr. Yordan Tchobanov

Mr. Andrei Peitchev, Institute of High School Education, Sofia

Mrs. Bozhidara Orozova, Institute of Instrument Design, Sofia Mr. Krassimir Gintchev Mrs. Vanya Angelkova

Mr. Bisser Stolarov, Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Sofia Mr . Georgi Penchev Mr. Emil Benatov Mrs. Iliana Mukhibian Mrs. Krassimira Dimitrova 21 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Mrs. Lilyana Tzatcheva, Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Sofia (cont.) Mrs. Lyubov Nencheva Mrs. Mariana Tchervenkova Mrs. Natalia Vinarova Mr. Pavel Karayanev Mrs. Radoslavka Kazandjieva Mrs. Tatyana Lekova Mrs. Tzveta Stoilova Mrs. Yonka Kosseva

Mr. , Institute "Niproruda", Sofia Mr. Georgi Furnadzhiev Mr. Ivan Popov Mr. Konstantin Mitov

Mr. Strashimir Karanov, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Sofia

Mrs. Zdravka Doinova, Institute of Telecommunications, Sofia

Mr. Anastas Iliev, Institute of Trade Union Research, Sofia

Mr. Kantcho Oreshkov, Metallurgical Combinate "L. Brezhnev", Sofia Mr. Stanyo Stanev

Mr. Atanas Atanassov, Ministry of Defense, Sofia Mr. Bozhidar Yovchev Mrs. Dimitria Blagoeva Mr. Zdravko Kerezov Mr. Konstantin Nedyalkov Mr. Petar Dutchkov Mr. Petko Subtchev Mr. Spas Tabakov Mr. Stefan Stefanov Mr. Vassil Venkov

Mr. Atanas Markov, Ministry of Metallurgy, Sofia

Mr. Assen Parlapanski, Municipal Council, Sofia Mr. Svetoslav Nikolov

Mr. Boicho Tzvetanov, Road Enterprise, Sofia- District

Mrs. Zhivka Karaguteva, Magazine "Komsomolski Zhivot", Sof i a

Mr. Panayot Lyakov, "Orbita" Weekly Newspaper, Sofia

Mrs. Tatyana Slaveva, Scientific Production Combinate "Metalokeramika", Sofia

Mrs. Margarita Velkova, Scientific Production Combinate "Optika", Sofia 22 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Mr. Stefan Manikov, Scientific Production Combinate for Pharmaceuticals, Sofia

Mr. Ilya Yakimov, State Economic Corporation "Redki Metali", Sofia Mrs. Yonka Valeva

Mrs. Bozhana Gindeva, State Committee for Science and Technological Progress, Sofia Mrs. Lyudmila Theodorova Mrs. Magdalena Ivanova Mr. Todor Toshev

Mr. Svetoslov Gatchev, Trade Union of Health Care Workers, Sofia

Mr. Angel Yotzov, Sofia Mr. Boyan Ivanov Mr. Dimitar Zafirov Mr. Dobromir Malamov Mr. Kostadin Ketipov Mrs. Maria Nenova Mr. Nadezhda Kamburova Mrs. Nedjalka Blagoeva Mr. Neno Nenov Mrs. Nikolina Nenova Mr. Plamen Kirov Mrs. Svetla Nikolova Mr. Stefan Borissov Mr. Stoyan Petrov

Mr. Stefan Toshev, Machine Construction Combinate "VMZ", Sopot

Mr. Radko Mihailov, Combinate "Metal", Tolbouchine

Mr. Evgeni Fillipov, Combinate "Orlov", Tolbouchine

Mr. Petko Rashkov, Footwear Combinate "Dobritch", Tolbouchine

Mr. Manol Manolov, Bulgarian Shipping Company "BMF", Varna Mr. Zlatomir Tabakov

Mr. Ivan Stoyanov, Institute for Diesel Engines, Varna

Mr. Tzvetan Ratchev, Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Varna Mr. Zheko Kisselov

Mr. Dimitar Karchinov, Higher Institute of Medecine, Varna 23 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Mr. Atanas Syarov, Higher Institute of National Economy, Varna Mrs. Iglika Uzunova Mr. Koytcho Koev Mr. Todor Todorov

Mr. Zakhari Christov, Sea Port, Varna

Mr. Bogomila Grozdeva, District Station of Young Technicians Mrs. Daniela Ivanova Mr. Dimitar Dimitrov Mrs. Elka Hadzivalcheva Mr. Ivan Ivanov Mr. Nikola Khandziev Mr. Plamen Ouzunov Mrs. Rositza Koitcheva Mr. Staiko Tzonev Mr. Tzvetan Doitchinov Mr. Valentin Velkov Mrs. Vesselina Gincheva

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Mr. Kim Kwang Sok, Head of Section, Office of Invention Examination, Pyongyang

Mr. Sin Hyon Dong, Head of Section, Office of Invention Examination, Pyongyang

Mr. Song Gwang Guk, Head of Department, The Invention Committee, Pyongyang

ETHIOPIA

Mr. Endale Getachen Mengeste, Manager, Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission, Addis Machinery Enterprise, Addis Abeba

Mr. Girma Alemu Kifelew, Technologist in Agriculture Equipment and Technical Services, Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission, Addis Abeba

FINLAND

Mr. Erkki Wuori, Deputy Director General, National Board of Patents and Registration, 24 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Mr. Hartmut Korsitzky, VEB Studiotechnik,

Dr. Horst Drohne, Chief, Patent Department, Academy of Science of the GDR, Berlin

Dr. Gunther Tschuch, Assistant, Sect. Physics, Martin-Luther-University, Halle

GERMANY, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF

Mr. Norbert Klotz, Dipl.-Ing., WZL-Technische Hochschule, Aachen

HONDURAS

Mr. Jorge Gallo, Profesor Titular, Universidad Nacional, Tegucigalpa

Mr. Jose Antonio Lopez, Tegucigalpa

INDIA

Mr. N.R. Subbaram, Joint Adviser (Patents), Council for Scienctific and Industrial Research (C.S.I.R.), New Delhi

Mr. Majid Abdul Hameid Rasheid, Director of Scientific Societies and Exhibitions, Directorate General for Scientific Welfare, Ministry of Youth, Baghdad

KENYA

Prof. David Simon Wasawo, Development Adviser, Ministry of Energy and Regional Development, Nairobi 25 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

MALAYSIA

Mr. Yuen Hung Chan, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Kuala Lumpur

MONGOLIA

Mr. Galbadlah Badamran, Central Committee of the Union of Mongolian Youth, Ulan Bator

Mr. Laagansuren Batdjariin, Committee for Science and Technology, Ulan Bator

MOROCCO

Mr. Mustapha Aksiman, President, Moroccan Association of Inventors and Innovators, Casablanca

NEPAL

Prof. Keshav Dev Bhattarai, Member, Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Kathmandu

Mr. Kamal Mani Acharya, Programme Officer, Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Kathmandu

PERU

Mrs. Olga Carolina Combe de Vertiz, Director, Industrial Property Directorate, ITINTEC, Lima

Dr. Raul Fajardo, National Director, SENATI, Lima

Dr. Roberto Sanchez Ayala, Director of Information and , National Productivity Center (CENIP), Lima 26 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

POLAND

Mr. Wojciech Wyszomirski,

Mr. Sergiusz Protoklitow, Warsaw

Mr. Jacek Stanislaw Strzelecki, Lodz

Mr. Zbigniew Letner, Director, POLIN, Katowice

ROMANIA

Dr. Vladimir Doicaru, Manager, Romanian Optoelectronic Group,

Mr. Stefan Degeratu, Engineer, Bucharest

Dr. Mircea Bucevschi, Sef-Lucrari, Bucharest

Mr. Iuliu Marius Cucuiat, Research Chemist, I.C.P.P.G. Cimpina, Prahova

Dr. Mihail Ionescu, First Research Scientist, Institute of Chemical Research, Bucharest

Mr. Romul Chiorean, Research Group Leader, Aiud

SOVIET UNION

Mr. Vladimir Andreevich Aleshin, Institute of Radioelectronics, USSR Academy of Sciences,

Mr. Alexandre Timofeevich Desyatov, Senior Research Scientist, Ministry of Chemical Machinebuilding, Moscow

Mr. Victor Eduardowich Gunter, Chief of Laboratory, University, Tomsk

Mr. Alexander Mikhailovich Lekhno, Simferopolskyi Fililal DISI, 27 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

SOVIET UNION {cont.)

Mr. A. Narbut, Public Laboratory of Invention Theory, Zaporozhye 121, USSR 330121, Mrs. N. Narbut

Prof. Kazimieras Ragulskis, NII Vibrotechnika KPI,

Mr. Vadim Savinov, Head, International Department, VOIR {Union of Inventors and Rationalizers), Moscow

Mr. Nicolay Alexeevich Zenitov, Senior Research Scientist, Academy for housing and communal services, Moscow

SUDAN

Dr. Saad Mohamed Hussein Ayoub, Senior Researcher, National Council for Research, Khartoum

Dr. Amin Hussein, Lecturer, Department of Technology, Khartoum Polytechnic, Khartoum

SURINAME

Ora. Irma Eugenie Tobing-Klein, Member National Assembly, Head, Division Juridical Affairs and Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paramaribo

SWEDEN

Dr. Sten Joste, Executive Secretary, International Inventors Awards {IIA),

Dr. Inger Joste, International Inventors Awards (IIA), Stockholm 28 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

YUGOSLAVIA

Mr. Vladislov Popovii, Patent and Trademark Agent, Management Marketing and Engineering Centre,

Mr. Dantovic Mustafa, Director, Sector production development, SOUR, MMK "Bratstvo", Pucarevo

Mr. Elez Radoslav, Director, Quality Control, SOUR "Energoinvest",

ZIMBABWE

Mr. Barry Loades, Co-ordinator, Inventors's Club, Harare

II. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

BENELUX TRADEMARK OFFICE {BBM}

Mr. Ludo van Bauwel, Director, Benelux Trademark Office (BBM}, , Netherlands

III. MAIN SPEAKERS, invited by Organizing Committee

Mr. Fidelino Adriano, Director of the Philippine Invention Development Institute, Philippines

Mr. Kristo Iliev, General Director, Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Bulgaria

Mr. Lothar Janke, Vice-President, Office for Inventions and patents of the German Democratic Republic, German Democratic Republic 29 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Mr. George Lewett, Chief, Office of Energy Related Inventions, National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, United States of America

Mr. Einar Nyren, Director, National Swedish Board for Technical Development {STU), Sweden

Mr. Marino Porzio, Deputy Director General, WIPO {lecture presented by Mr. Vl. Yossifov, Program Officer, WIPO)

Mr. Rudolphe Tchistjakov, Chief Examiner, USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries, Soviet Union

IV. OFFICERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF THE SEMINAR

Acad. Dimitar Shopov, Vice-President, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Mr. Pencho Sirakov, Executive Secretary, World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors

Mr. Petar Kenderov, Corresponding member, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Mr. Kristo Iliev, Director General, Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations

Mr. Slavcho Rakovsky, Senior Scientist, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Mr. Vladimir Yossifov, Program Officer, Section for Relations with International Organizations and Promotion of Innovation in Developing Countries, World Intellectual Property Organization {WIPO)

Mr. Fidelino Adriano, Director, Philippine Invention Development Institute Republic of the Philippines

CREATING A BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR INVENTIVENESS

Introduction

Officers of the organizing committee of this Seminar, fellow lecturers and participants at this International Seminar on Inventiveness for Development Purposes and my colleagues and fellow inventors and innovators of Bulgaria.

l. I came to this progressive country, to bring and extend to you first of all, warm greetings from the Republic of the Philippines, an archipelago in the tropics composed of more than 7,000 islands, one of the six countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

2. To discuss with you and elaborate on the subject assigned to me in this Seminar, it is but fitting and proper for me to talk more particularly about our own experience in the Philippines for better understanding and meaningful significance.

3. My country had a history of centuries of colonialism, first under , then for a shorter period, under the United States of America. Therefore, as a colony, it took very slow and gradual steps to grow positively in terms of progressiveness in political, social, economic, educational and technological fields. The period of World War II, although brief, also added to a slackened pace in the process of evolving recovery and national development. 32 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

4. It was the same situation and time frame that similarly hampered development of the economic sectors covering such areas as industrialization, the sciences and technology, which includes growth in inventiveness and in creating a favorable environment for inventions and inventors to prosper.

5 . The beginning of "inventions and innovations" as we know them in contemporary or modern times may have been in the 1930s during the American regime. True, during the first two to three decades of American rule, the U.S. patent system was made available also to Filipinos. Patent applications for domestic inventions were sent to the U.S. Patent Office through U.S. patent attorneys. Upon the issuance of a U. S. patent, the same was then registered locally. Only very few took advantage of this slow system.

6. Most Filipinos were then not aware of the procedures, and the expense and distance was also a hindrance, hence inventive activity in the Philippines had to wait for better opportunities and incentives that became available to them after the Second World War or after the grant of independence in 1946.

Environment for Inventiveness

7. Let us first take an overview of what are the particular components of the environment that influence or stimulate inventiveness among the people, say among the Filipinos, for instance. You will note that this environment, both within the country (internal) and outside the country (external) is usually the same, or has a common perspective in most 33 Fidelino Adriano

developing nations. Developed nations have undergone similar developments under similar patterns, although they started ahead.

8. I should say that the more important components of the local environment are the following:

political, educational and cultural; science and technology (R&D); economic factors; institutionalized infrastructures; resources, natural and man-made, as men, money and materials; and external (those influences coming from other countries).

9. All these factors are important facets that have contributed to the creation of a better environment for inventiveness in the Philippines, as we will illustrate here.

Creation of Better Inventive Environment

10. As politics initiate policiBs, decisions, etc. to create the necessary climate for development, through legislative enactments, e.g., laws, presidential decrees or pronouncements, so it is the Government which should provide the leadership and the network - vertical and horizontal - so that implementing actions, funding and operations of the institutional infrastructure can be achieved, which are apolitical.

11. In the Philippines, such policies of the State were embodied in the 1935 Constitution and again in the 1973 34 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Constitution. For it was only after the grant of political independence in 1946 that the Philippines was given the true opportunity to pursue its development plans in many fronts on its own, most of which were socio-economic and educational in nature. Next came the need for industrialization, and in some measure, the need for modernization and some changes necessary to cope with the growing expectations of the growing population.

12. The patent law has also a political basis, the Philippine Constitution. It has something to do with the implementing aspects of a certain policy stipulation. Article XV, Section 9 of the 1973 Constitution states:

"{1) The State shall promote scientific research and invention. The advancement of science and technology shall have priority in the national development.

(2) Filipino culture shall be prescribed and developed for national identity. Arts and letters shall be under the patronage of the State.

{3) The exclusive right to inventions, writings, and artistic creations shall be secured to inventors, authors, and artists for a limited period. Scholarships, grants-in-aid, or other forms of incentives shall be provided for specially gifted citizens."

13. It was this need for improvements to provide the basic needs of man, "necessity being the mother of invention," that lead the government to opt for better environment for inventiveness, which is also needed for development purposes. Most of the institutionalized infrastructures have to start 35 Fidelino Adriano

with legislation so as to give such creations the imprint of expediency and permanence.

14. The present patent law in the Philippines, Republic Act No. 165, as amended, was enacted by the first Philippine Congress in 1947. Again this legislation, creating the Philippine Patent Office in order to initiate and enhance the industrial property system was a political perspective, aimed also at creating a better climate for stimulating creative thinking and inventiveness of Filipinos.

15. The Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia and the first among ASEAN countries with a well-established patent system. The system is administered by the Philippine Patent Office (PPO) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It is a quasi-judicial agency that has the sole authority to secure or grant and/or deny patent rights to applicant-inventors and innovators. It does not perform functions to assist inventors.

16. Industrial property includes within its sphere patents for inventions, utility models or innovations and industrial designs. These are within the functional areas of the PPO. Also handled by the PPO is the registration of trademarks and trade names. In a broader sense, intellectual property includes the above (industrial property categories) and also copyrights for literary and artistic works where the registration is handled by the National Library of the Philippines.

17. In 1965, the Philippines became a member of the Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. 36 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Consequently, it was placed side-by-side with other progressive countries of the world with a patent system.

18. One perspective which also helped to create a stimulating environment for inventiveness in the country was the organization in December 1953 of the Filipino Inventors Society (FIS}, a national association of local inventors. The women inventors, not to be outdone, also organized the Women Inventors Association of the Philippines (WIAPI) in 1983. The FIS has some 500 active members mostly in Metro Manila and Luzon, and 1,000 potential members mostly coming from the Visayas and Mindanao islands. The WIAPI is composed initially of 45 active members and 150 potential members.

Institutional Innovation for Invention Development

19. The first action of the Government to institutionalize the operation and coordination of science and technology activities nationwide was the passage of the Science Act of 1958, which created the National Science Development Board (NSDB) of Cabinet or Ministry level, which was renamed the National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) in June 1982 by virtue of Executive Order No. 784. Under the NSDB umbrella, science research agencies were reorganized. One of these technical agencies, which was to take charge of the specific area of invention promotion and development, was the Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC) which was created by R.A. 3850, otherwise known as the Philippine Inventors Incentives Act in April 1964. The PIC was formally organized on , 1965. The former PIC was reorganized in June 1982 and renamed the Philippine Invention Development Institute (PIDI). 37 Fidelino Adriano

20. Major functions of PIDI are: to provide various forms of assistance to inventors and innovators - patenting, legal, technical, financial, design and fabrication, promotional and other incentives to inventors in order to help them patent, protect, develop/improve and to manufacture and promote their inventions here and abroad.

21. The development, promotion and protection of local inventions is a necessary area of government subsidy (rather than subsidize foreign inventions and technologies) because these are more appropriate for local conditions and are short-term product-oriented projects with shorter lead time to transfer the know-how to the mainstream of a still developing economy. This is specially true if inventors adopt the "demand-pull" strategy in which we set priorities on the basis of demand. Inventors could also become more productive and their public image may improve if other sectors of the economy keep an open rather than closed mind towards them.

22. Before 1965, local inventors were not so keen in having their alleged inventions patented or developed, because most inventors lack the technological know-how and guidance and the financial means to patent, fabricate models and improve and test them, etc. Many were frustrated, thus abandoning what might have been useful and profitable inventions which would have been potential forerunners and generators of small and medium scale industries in the countryside. All these problems compounded by the then elitist Filipino colonial "import mentality" hampered the Filipino inventor's dream of a better life for his people and progress for his country. This attitude is being improved now. The economic crisis of the 38 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

1980s reduced our people's clamor for imported commodities and enhanced the patronage of local invention-based substitutes.

23. We are now paying attention to directing inventors towards a better quality of Filipino inventions as the creative climate has greatly improved. For the history of the world in terms of scientists and inventors and their respective contributions to their country and in the larger sense, to the world, did progress little by little, from simple things, then further developing them into maturity and full scale commercialization.

24. The economic emancipation of the masses of our people depends more on reliance on indigenous technologies than on borrowed or imported technology. Of course, the appropriate mix of home-grown technologies and suitable imported technologies will help accelerate economic growth.

25. From a start in 1967-1968 of 61 applications for patenting assistance and 10 for model fabrication assistance, these increased to 268 in 1975 for patenting and 120 for fabrication, and reaching to more than 300 applications for patenting, 150 for fabrication and 510 for promotion assistance in 1980. To date, PIDI has a total of applications for various kinds of assistance of 5,260.

26. One indicator of success of the patent system and of PIDI's nationwide invention information and promotion drive and its various assistance may be gleaned also from the following.

27. In 1965, only 10% of the 545 patents granted by the PPO were from local inventors, 90% were issued to foreigners, mostly Americans. In 1970, 15% of the total number of patents 39 Fidelino Adriano

issued by PPO were granted to Filipino inventors. In 1975, 25% of the total 1,268 patents granted by the PPO were issued to local inventors. In 1980, 52% of the total 2,200 patents issued by the patent office were granted to Filipinos.

28. During the 1980s, the major directions by which local inventions are to · be geared are prioritized on the basis of eleven (11) basic needs of man within a community or a society as laid down by the Ministry of Human Settlements and the Technology Resource Center. These are: food, power, water, shelter, education and technology, mobility, clothing, ecological balance, medical services, sports and recreation and a sound economic base.

29. There is still a need to upgrade the quality of Filipino inventions and to give priority to their commercialization or manufacture and market promotion. These are the main thrusts for invention projects in the 1980s and 1990s.

Other Incentives for Inventiveness

30. Aside from the foregoing, other incentives to encourage and stimulate Philippine inventors and innovators to become productive are the following.

31. Sponsoring the Annual Inventors Week and of Philippine Inventions, every year {last week of February) which includes the invention, innovation and creative research contests and public display of commercialized inventions and innovations, aside from the contest entries. Substantial cash prizes and other awards are given to the best three entries in 40 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

each category to be adjudged by the Presidential Panel of Judges. These awards are called the Presidential Awards, consisting of Presidential Merit (gold) Medal, Diploma of Merit and sizeable cash prizes. The second and third prizes arealso given awards. Philippine inventions are also on display daily at the lobby (first floor) of the PIDI Building at the NSTA Compound, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila and in the capitals of the 13 regions, where NSTA has regional offices.

32. Giving Certificates of Exemption to inventors who manufacture and/or produce their own inventions as small and medium scale industry - exemptions from all kinds of taxes, licenses and permits during the first five years from date of first sale, under certain conditions to be regulated by the Ministry of Finance. {Thi s activity is tied up with the 1 industry-generating and KKK cooperative programs of the PIDI).

33. Granting of manufacturing capital loans under the Invention Guarantee Fund to help inventors obtain soft capital loans from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for the production of their viable inventions, with a part thereof guaranteed by this Fund. (This is also tied up with the industry-generating and KKK cooperative programs of PIDI).

34. Holding 2-3 day seminar-workshops nationwide for students in secondary and college level on creativeness and invention development under the PIDI Inventschool Program. The main objective is to train the youth in technological creativity and invention development. The Inventschool training consists of four levels - the basic, the primary, the intermediate and the 41 Fidelino Adriano

advanced courses, the latter includes entrepreneural skills. It is also a means of providing a reservoir of inventors for the future, considering that inventors are made, not born. Training of young inventors is done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

Regional and International Linkages

35. The influence that greatly affected the growth of a better environment for inventiveness in the Philippines as early as the 1960s was the technological explosion in the advanced/industrialized countries, like Japan, the United States of America, the , Germany (Federal Republic of). It was in the early 1970s that we have felt the impact of inventions/innovations in industry and trade in the regional and international levels. We have thus established cooperative working linkage with countries in the Asian and Pacific region including Japan, People's Republic of China and Southeast Asia through exchanges of trainees, and training seminars in connection with our I nventschool program in the industrial property system. On the international level, we have had excellent working relations with WIPO and UNIDO. WIPO, for instance, has donated annually since 1980, gold medals for the outstanding Filipino inventor and the outstanding invention of the year during the celebration of the annual Inventor's Week, held during the last week of February.

36. I am impressed with your exhibition of the works of young inventors here . We have also been focusing our training of future Filipino inventors, through our annual science fa irs, 42 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

creative research contests and organization of inventclubs nationwide among our young students in the secondary schools and college levels. This youth training on inventiveness is an important factor in maintaining and improving a good climate for inventiveness and a reservoir of future inventors to keep alive the scientific and inventive tradition in our country.

37. Lastly, after the period of creating a favorable environment for inventiveness in the country, it is important that all these efforts at integrating, and collective stimulation of, inventive activities, be followed through and maintained. Both public and private sectors, including academia, must be orchestrated and motivated by a unique, coordinative, assisting government agency towards more inventive productivity. This is the major and continuing function of the Philippine Invention Development Institute.

Footnotes 1. KKK means the top priority livelihood program for self-reliance of the government - in Filipino it is "Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran."

* * * Mr. Jan Hak, Lawyer, CSSR Office for Inventions and Discoveries, Czechoslovakia

CREATION OF OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR INVENTION AND RATIONALIZATION

In addition to the problems associated with the creation of optimum conditions for invention and rationalization in general, those related to the participation of the younger generation in this process showed to be given wider particular attention with a view to creating all the necessary conditions for the achievement of that aim. The transition to all-round intensification of the national economy, which entails substantially greater use of the recent achievements of science and technology in all areas of social life--a revolutionary process laid down by the 16th Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia--the younger generation are being called upon to reinforce their role as driving force of such changes.

The new directions of science and technology, the development of new technology and new forms of work organization, always require on the one hand great experience and high qualification, and on the other hand a healthy ambition and an ability to take risks and devise new, non-traditional solutions, free of the deadweight of routine; they also call for the even more active participation of the young qualified specialists, either alone or in teams, in the above processes.

Czechoslovak society pays very close attention to the training of the younger generation, and it concentrates all the mass education media on the largest incorporation of young people in the process of active implementation of scientific and technological achievements in the life of society. In 44 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

December 1984 the Presidium of the Czechoslovak Government adopted a "program to strengthen the participation of children and young people in scientific and technological development"; in accordance with the long-term plans for scientific and technological development and the plans for professional, personal and social development, this program contains measures for the intensification and coordination of cooperation between all bodies concerned through the direction of young people towards the solution of the problems presented by scientific and technological development at all levels of the administration.

The objectives of the program could be summarized as follows: all-round development of creati ve activity relating to scientific and technological matters among children and young people undergoing professional training in schools and other educational establishments, this action forming an integral part of the educational process and thereby contributing to the fulfilment, in this area, of the fundamental tasks of the socialist teaching system; intensification of the tangible contribution made by young people relating to the improvement of quality and acceleration of scientific and technological development in all sectors of the national economy.

The necessary qualitative changes in scientif ic and technological development and production require a strengthening of the role of inventive and rationalizing (innovative) activity. There is therefore a need for programs to direct creative activity in the technological field towards the solution of the most important short-term and long-term 45 Jan Hak

technological and economic problems. Speeding-up of the practical implementation of inventions, rationalization proposals and industrial designs is among the fundamental tasks.

In this connection it is necessary to secure the largest participation of socialist work brigades, the multidisciplinary brigades of rationalizers and teams of young people, not only in the stage of development of the inventions and rationalization proposals but throughout the process, right up to their rapid implementation in production. In Czechoslovakia, the main instruments for the management of inventive and rationalizing activity are the programs for the development, creation and practical use of inventions, rationalization proposals and industrial designs, the purpose of which is to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks relating to scientific and technological development and production, at all levels of the administration and management of the national economy.

Within the framework of the measures provided for in these programs, concrete tasks have been set related to the creation of material, technical and legal conditions with a view to increasing the younger generation's contribution to invention and rationalization activity. To that end the political and economic bodies and organizations are working on the design of programs and their implementation, in harmonious cooperation with public organizations, in particular the Revolutionary Labor Union Movement and the Socialist Union of Youth (SSM).

Results in recent years have confirmed that the younger generation's participation in the invention and rationalization movement in Czechoslovakia is a by no means negligible force. 46 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

For instance, of 321,000 applications for the protection of rationalization proposals filed in Czechoslovakia in 1981, 32,202 were filed by young rationalizers; in 1982 they represented 34,505 out of 338,076 applications, and in 1983 43,499 out of 364,579 applications.

In order to raise inventive -and rationalizing activity to a qualitatively higher level in general and the contribution that the younger generation makes to the creation and implementation of inventions in particular, it is necessary to create optimum conditions in all sectors of the national economy. For that purpose, the collective participation of young people in the design and especially the carrying out of programs for the planned development of inventive and rationalizing activity has to be intensified.

The next task consists in ensuring the participation of economic entities and organizations in the preparation and holding of the ZENIT national exhibition of achievements of the creative activity of young people, and also in the organization of the ZENIT movement in general, these being the principal means of encouraging young people to develop inventive and rationalizing activity. One of the tasks consists in training and encouraging young people to engage in technical creation, whether in industrial enterprises, research organizations, teaching establishments or other sectors.

Among the measures for the material and moral encouragement of the workers of Czechoslovakia to active participation in inventive and rationalizing activities, an important place will be given to the title of "best young inventor and rationalizer," which will entitle its holder to 47 Jan Hak

wear a badge, and which will be conferred on the best young inventors and rationalizers in consultation with the CSSR Office for Inventions and Discoveries, the central bodies and the Socialist Union of Youth (SSM).

The creation of conditions capable of developing the creative capacities of young · people is a matter to be given permanent attention in all enterprises, in all organizations, in research establishments and in factories. That is the condition on which youth will effectively feed new, non-traditional and progressive ideas into the fields of science and technology, thereby contributing substantially to a speeding-up of the process of implementation of new technological solutions in practice, and ultimately become one of the main components of inventive and rationalizing activity.

Inventions and rationalization proposals result in several billion crowns of annual savings to the economy of socialist Czechoslovakia. It is the permanent responsibility of the younger generation, as indeed the interest of society as a whole requires, to increase their share in the achievement of those savings, thus strengthening, using all available means, their participation in the construction of a developed socialist society for the good of mankind, in the interest of social justice and the strengthening of peace in the world.

* *

Dr. Eng. Kristo Iliev, Director General, Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations, Bulgaria

DEVELOPMENT OF INVENTIVENESS AND INNOVATION IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

The improvement of existing industrial products and technologies and the creation of new ones is the very substance of technical progress and, at the same time, the main field in which inventiveness finds its application. This explains the social significance and the important role played by inventiveness in the development of the productive forces of society.

As a manifestation of the creative spirit of mankind, inventive activity is not only an inexhaustible source of development, but also a supreme form of moral satisfaction and personal realization.

Recognizing the two-fold significance of inventiveness, Article 26 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bulgaria specifically requires state, cooperative and public organizations to promote creative and inventive activity and to make use of its results in the economic and cultural development of the country.

Within the framework of socialist relationships, following the experience of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria became the second country in the world to adopt the inventor's certificate as a form of legal protection for inventions. The principle of the inventor's certificate, which balances the interest of society with those of the individual, became a keystone in the development of inventiveness in Bulgaria and of the Bulgarian legal system for the protection of inventions. 50 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Three other factors, apart from the implementation of legal protection of inventions, proved decisive in the rapid development of inventive activity in Bulgaria.

In the same year that the first statutory instrument concerning matters of inventiveness was promulgated, the first graduates also left the newly established higher technical education institutions. The introduction of higher education in the technical field and the training of qualified technicians constituted the prime condition and prerequisite for the development of inventive activity.

The second factor that gave an incentive to creative activity on the part of young technicians was the national industrialization policy.

Bulgaria built up a large industry at an exceptionally high rate thus changing the country from a backward agrarian State to a developed industrial and agrarian State. While making use of foreign experience, a national scientific and research capability was established to meet the demands of socialist construction and rapid progress was made from the stage of borrowing and assimilating foreign technology to that of high level national achievements.

Implementing a well devised strategy, Bulgaria built up a new social system and a modern economy. However, within that strategy has always been the awareness of a need for active interaction and cooperation with other countries. This was indeed the third important factor in the development of inventiveness in Bulgaria, particularly since inventive work itself can only be developed in an international context. 51 Krista Iliev

Thanks to the solidarity and spirit of mutual assistance among the countries of the socialist community the system of legal protection for inventions and the organization of inventive activity in Bulgaria received thoroughgoing, methodological assistance and within a brief period of time a patent collection was established and patent experts were trained to meet the need to examine applications.

Thus, all the necessary conditions for inventive activity in the country were present. During the 35 years following the promulgation of the Decree on inventions, technical improvements and rationalizations, inventive activity has traveled an outstanding road to greater development. Whereas the annual average of applications for protection of inventions was only 14 during the period 1951 to 1956, the annual number of applications between 1981 and 1984 has risen to 3,800 (Figure 1). In 1983, Bulgaria occupied the ninth place in respect of inventive activity, following countries like Japan, the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Switzerland and others.

The quality of creative work grew at the same rate as its quantity. Despite the growing quality and severity of the State scientific and technical patent examination, the percentage of approved Bulgarian applications grew from between 7 and 25% in the 1950s to between 35 and 45% over the last ten years.

Inventive activities during this last decade we r e particularly rich since over 60% o f Bulgarian inventions have originated during that period. The same peri od also demonstrates a significant relat i onship (Figure 2) be tween the U1 TREND OF INVENTIVE ACTIVITY 1:\J

economic effect 1-J:j (1000 leva) ...... ~ 1"1 CD

...... H z <: 1:%1 t-3 z 1"1 t-3 CD H ::I <: a. 1:%1 z 0 1:%1 Hl Ul ...... Ul ::I 1-J:j < 0 CD :u ::I rt 0 ...... 1:%1 < <: CD 1:%1 t'l Q.l 0 () '1:1 rt :s: ...... 1:%1 < z ...... t-3 rT '1:1 ~ c::: ...... :u ::I '1:1 0 til Ul ~ 1:%1 ...... Ul implemented proposals (D) 1.0 Q.l ,.. . 1"1...... Q.l

V I V II FIVE-YEAR PERIOD 53 Kristo Iliev

growth rate of the national income, of the number of scientists and of national inventions. The greater dynamism and the higher growth rate in the number of inventions are clearly visible and give a direct indication of a positive qualitative trend in the scientific potential of the country.

This rapid development of inventiveness likewise gives an indication of the growing intellectual potential of our economy and of the greater possibilities for innovation and the intensive implementation of the most effective Bulgarian developments.

Since practically all the domestic inventions made in Bulgaria are protected by inventors' certificates they are therefore public property, or national wealth, and society is interested in using them in the most effective way. In the final , the economic result of industrial implementation of inventions is the social benefit derived from these inventive activities. An analysis of the data shows that the economic effect of implemented Bulgarian inventions (Figure l) is changing most dynamically in a positive direction. The resultant curve shows almost exponential growth. This increase in the economic effect is due to an increase in the number of inventions implemented each year and to the greater effectiveness of individual inventions, which has recorded 10% mean growth in recent years. The proportion of implemented inventions to those created during the period 1981 to 1984 amounts to 44%, thus corresponding to the situation in many industrially developed countries. The effect of the Bulgarian inventions that are implemented each year amounts to 20% of net produce growth in the country, thus proving a significant participation of national highly intellectual product in the gross national product (GNP). lT1 ~ Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations

l'%j Growth rates of the number of inventions, 1-'• national income and number of c 1"1 scientists in Bulgaria CD

I'V H X z Q) < "'0 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 t:r::l .s ~ ti!::SC'l z inventions c OJ 1"1 t-3 Q) 980 1014 1116 1368 1316 1361 1462 1511 1429 1911 1-'rtO H ~ 1.0 1-'·~ < ..Q base index 1 1.,03 1.,14 L39 L34 1,39 1 49 L54 1.,46 11 95 OJOrt t:r::l .. inventions t-1::S::s' z I-'· OJ t:r::l 2.,0 national income 1 1.,06 1,13 L19 L27 1,35 1,41 L47 1.,52 1.,59 OJ 1-' 1"1 Cll . . OJ Cll 1-'· rt L9 scientists 18436 19146 19216 20058 21CE6 "22601 ::S CD l'%j 22878 23% 24275 25381 () Ul 0 . . base index 1 1,04 L04 L09 L14 1.,22 1.,28 1.,32 0 ::0 1J24 1,38 3 0 1.,8 CDH'l t:l t:r::l OJrt < ::s::r t:r::l L7 O.CD t"1 0 . . ::s ::s '1::1 1.,6 c c :3: 3 3 t:r::l .. tJ'tJ' z 1.,5 CD CD t-3 1"1 1"1 .. '1::1 0 0 c::: 1.,4 H'l H'l ::0 '1::1 Ul 1-'· 0 () ::s Cll 1.,3 I-'·< til CD CD Cll ::s ::s rtrt L2 1-'· 1-'· Ul 0 rt::S 1 ... 1 Ul Ul

1-'· 1 ... 0 ;::3

1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 years 55 Krista Iliev

One of the essential features of inventive activity in Bulgaria is its positive influence in the establishment of progressive and efficient production structures in various branches of the national economy. First mention should be given to agriculture, where the production of cereals, vegetables, and many other crops is based almost entirely on new varieties bred in Bulgaria.

The achievements of Bulgarian plant breeders have raised our agriculture to a new qualitative level. The national economy has a guaranteed income of millions of leva and the country has won a reputation for high yield as proved in international tests of the wheat variety "Charodeyka" developed by T. Rachinski, the wheat variety " I" by P. Popov, the maize variety "-21-611" by V. Valchinkov, etc.

The influence of inventiveness on industry may be illustrated by a number of significant e x amples. The famous invention of Balevski and Dimov for gas counter-pressur e casting, and a whole family of dependent inventions, was the basis for building up a modern sector with considerable growth potential. In this specific example, Bulgarian sci entists and technicians achieved a technological breakthrough as a result of which Bulgaria has been a world leader for two decades and Bulgarian inventions have considerably changed the level of technology in this field.

In the field of pharmacy, the inventions of academic i an Zhelyazkov and his colleagues Again, Vasileva et a l . const i tute the most valuable and most effective of Bulgarian medicines, together with their methods of production, which have pe r mitted 56 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

our pharmaceutical industry to gain the confidence at the international market and to become an efficient branch of the national economy.

A wealth of inventors in the electrical industry, including names such as Dragomirov, Dundarov, Atanassov, Popov, Ivanchev, have created a family of inventions that have thoroughly modernized this branch, have given new production orientations and have made Bulgaria a reliable supplier and partner in electro-technical production.

Inventions such as the "Protective coating for graphite electrodes" by Valchev, "Isaplan" by Samokovliyski, "Copper refining at high current density" by Petrov, "Prenomit" by Mitov, have carried the reputation of Bulgarian creative thinking far beyond the borders of the country and have extended the application of Bulgarian inventions across the territory of the most developed industrial countries, thereby proving that there are no small nations in the field of culture or in that of science and technology. Bulgaria currently offers a number, although limited, of most up-to-date technologies to other countries. Licensing Bulgarian inventions abroad increased threefold over the last ten years.

This survey of inventive activity 1n Bulgaria could well be supplemented by many other examples of inventions that have still to prove in practice their power to transform production.

However, the examples I have given are sufficient to illustrate the span and depth of creativeness which plays a major part in building up the material wealth of the country and in consolidating its economy. 57 Krista Iliev

When talking of trends in inventive activity and of peak achievements in engineering and applied research, we are obliged to mention a significant factor that feeds and catalyzes inventive activities in our country, that is to say the innovation movement which today involves some several hundred thousand workers and technicians from all sectors of the national economy. Mass technical creativity attracts not only the thinking and the capabilities of the labor force towards productive improvements, but has also created a new philosophy, a new public attitude towards science and technology that has gone a long way to facilitating the implementation of inventions and to introducing science into production.

A specific form of mass technical creativity among youth has been developed over the last 15 years in Bulgaria. Thanks to the special attention and care of the Party and State leadership and of President Todor Zhivkov in person, and due also to the energetic efforts of the Dimitrov Communist Union of Youth, the movement for Technical and Scientific Creativity of Youth (TSCY) assumed irnrnpressive dimensions, encompassing all age groups and occupational groups among Bulgarian youth. Today, 1.2 million young people participate in various forms within this movement, grouped in 6,500 clubs, 120 stations for yourig technicians, agrobiologists, etc. The movement for Technical and Scientific Creativity of Youth (TSCY) has proved to be one of the most significant elements within Bulgarian scientific and economic policy. Some 90,000 innovations and 2,500 inventions created during the last 15 years originate from Bulgarian youth. Presently, 20% of inventors and innovators are young people, representing 25% of the economic 58 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

effect of the implementation of scientific and technical achievements.

A study carried out by the Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations shows that for inventions made by mixed teams, that is to say those comprising inventors both over and under 35 years of age, the young people represented approximately 40% of the total number, but nevertheless produced 60% of the creative contribution to inventions. This is a quite significant fact, although derived from a limited number of inventions that were studied. It shows that young technicians and specialists in Bulgaria constitute the future source of our science and inventive activity, but also that while still young they already possess the knowledge and maturity that makes them succesful inventors. Thus, the movement for Technical and Scientific Creativity of Youth (TSCY) is inseparably linked to the development of inventive activities in Bulgaria and constitutes a guarantor of continuing growth both in quantity and quality.

The development of mass technical creativity and of the movement for Technical and Scientific Creativity of Youth (TSCY) is part of the strategy to make scientific and technical progress a foundation of social and economic development in the country. Inventiveness plays a key role in the implementation of this strategy since it causes the national scientific and technical experts to enter into intellectual competition at the highest level of world science and technology; inventive activity brings about the encounter of ideas without which it is not possible to move forwards. In view of this, the Bulgarian State deploys a large range of incentives, means and 59 Kristo Iliev

structures to promote inventive activity. Under the Law on Inventions and Rationalizations and its Regulations, inventors are guaranteed remuneration at a special tariff which amounts to between 2 and 30 per cent of the economic effect achieved in practical implementation of the invention during the first year, with additional payments over the following four years if the economic effect continues to grow. The Bulgarian law sets out no limits on the absolute amount of the remuneration that is due.

In addition, inventors are entitled to further rewards if they directly participate in the implementation process by giving consultations, preparing of technical documentation, models or samples. In order to create the most favorable evironment for implementing inventions, the Law and its Regulations provide for material incentives to be paid to individuals and teams contributing to the industrial utilization of the inventions. In the same way as the inventors, other persons contributing to the implementation and practical use of inventions are afforded special types of privileges.

The incentives contained in the Bulgarian legal system for the protection of inventions include a money award of up to 200 leva, paid by the Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations at the time the inventor's certificate is granted, irrespective of the use made of the invention, and an entitlement to additional paid holidays of up to 12 days for all those whose inventions have been implemented in practice. Experience so far shows this incentive to be most effective since the award of the Institute for Inventions and Rationalizations 60 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

constitutes a first public recognition of the creative act and the additional leave is appreciated by a creative individual and is used as a resource for renewed creativity.

Moral incentives play a major part in developing inventiveness in Bulgaria. We are proud of the 235 winners of Dimitrov awards--the highest prize given in this country for science, technology and culture. The title of "Honorary inventor" was awarded to 1,342 persons.

Over the last three years, five Bulgarian inventors were awarded a WIPO gold medal for their inventions.

A unique event, now in its fifth year, acts as a powerful stimulus: the exhibition entitled "Invented in Sofia" has become a showcase for the audaciousness of scientists and technicians of the Bulgarian capital and plays an important part in creating information links and conditions for rapid industrial implementation of the inventions.

The legal texts and the structures provided by the public institutions constitute a reliable means and a guarantee of the continuing initiatives of Bulgarian scientists and technicians in the field of inventions. At the same time, the administrative and legal system covering inventive activity is continuing to develop and improve.

There are presently two two-year postgraduate schools that have trained more than 1000 patent specialists whose knowledge will permit our scientific and economic establishments to develop and implement a comprehensive policy in respect of industrial property. One of the signficant features of such 61 Krista I1iev

policy in our country is the planned allocation of inventive effort, the search for differing forms of incentive and the high level of technical and economic requirements placed on inventive solutions in the scientific and technical fields that are of· utmost importance to the country, in addition to effective measures for the legal protection of Bulgarian inventions abroad.

As a result of this approach, it may be claimed that inventiveness contributes to every fundamental development in all the leading research units in the country. Statistically, from 100 completed development projects, 30 or more resulted in inventions and this figure can be as high as 90 in some of the units within the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Looking back and surveying the achievements over a short period of our history, we cannot held feeling proud and satisfied at what has been achieved. This satisfaction brings with it the ambition to achieve more and greater results. This is how inventiveness in our country is developing today, is aiming to achieve a greater contribution to the country's economy and to the store of world science and technology.

* * *

Mr. Lothar Janke, Vice-President, Office for Inventions and Patents of the German Democratic Republic

INVENTIVENESS IN UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THE ROLE OF EDUCATION: GROUPS, CLUBS AND OTHER WAYS OF PROMOTING INVENTIVE ACTIVITY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

This Symposium, together with the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors, constitutes an outstanding example in the UN Year of Youth of the manifold possibilities open for peaceful cooperation between men on our planet irrespective of the differences in their social systems. They demonstrate the feasibility of peaceful competition for a better social order and are a contribution to maintaining peace in and throughout the world. We feel ourselves particularly devoted to this concern in the German Democratic Republic. "The German Democratic Republic strives for a worldwide coalition of reason and realism to avert the danger of nuclear war." 1

We are living at a time of galloping developments in science and technology. Every three to six years, the entire production is renewed. A truly revolutionary process is taking place in science and production. This process is borne by inventions in all technical fields. Each year, throughout the world, almost one million patent applications are published. The worldwide holdings of patents currently contain more than

30 million documents. Ne~ technologies, such as microelectronics, opto-electronics, lasers, information processing and genetic engineering, in conjunction with the constant need to rationalize and automate processes, place growing demands on creative activity and on man's knowledge and capabilities. 64 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Over the last 40 years the time that passes between the creation of an invention and its practical application has been dramatically reduced. Whereas the introduction of radio took 33 years at the turn of the century, that of television 26 years and 13 years still in the case of the electron microscope, in the 50s the computer already reached its practical application stage in six years, transistors in four years and microprocessors in but nine months.

It has always been the young people, in particular, who have made great inventive contributions to the development of science and technology.

It is well known that youth is the most creative age for most people. A look back at the history of science and technology shows that important scientists, researchers and discoverers, whose work, discoveries and inventions gave a decisive stimulus to the development of science and technology, indeed produced their first important achievements in their young years.

For instance, more than half of the important mathematicians were no older than 25 years at that time, and more than two-thirds of them not older than 30 years. I may mention, for example, Gauss, who developed the method of least squares at 17, Pascal, who wrote his essay on conical sections at 16 and devised a calculating machine at 19. The average age of 103 winners of the Nobel Prize for physics was approximately 34 years. Outstanding physicists already did important work in their young years. I may give the examples of Einstein, Heisenberg, Joule, Bohr and Hertz. 65 Lothar Janke

The past has known many inventors and discoverers who have done important work in their young years. Penaud developed the helicopter at the age of 20, Edison invented the multiplex telegraphy and the telegraphic relay at 21, Watt produced his steam engine at 23 and von Ardenne submitted his work on the improvement of the cathode ray tube, with which he paved the way for the development of television, at the age of 23.

Creativeness is a basic requirement for the development of mankind. The Soviet psychologist Rubinstein gave the following explanation: "Man's true achievements have their impact not only in the external world, that is to say in some object or other that man has created, but also in man himself. When a person creates something of importance, he himself grows with it. Creative and heroic deeds constitute the true source of his growth." 2

This is indeed one of the basic reasons why a growing number of young people of our time seek their happiness and satisfaction in creative activities. Youth is the bearer of our future. Today one out of five inhabitants o f o u r Ea r th is between 15 and 25 years of age. Current fo r ecasts tell us that the proportion of this age g r oup i n the World's population is destined to grow even furthe r .

Unfortunately, the situation of youth in various pa r ts of the World is altogether unsatisfact o r y. In the developing countries, where particularly large numbers of young peo ple live, their standard of living is mostly low. For these youngsters it is often difficult to obtain proper schooling and to learn a trade. Likewise, i n the developed capitalis t industrial countries many young people are una ble to obt ain an 66 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

apprenticeship or to find a job. One of the important human rights, the right to work, does not apply to them.

The fate of young people and their chances for the future show up in particularly vivid contrast to the world of truly existing socialism. In the German Democratic Republic, girls and boys know nothing of unemployment, poverty or fear for the future. Young people are given all possibilities to obtain a high level of education free of charge. The ten-class polytechnic upper school is obligatory for all. Schoolchildren confidently enjoy unhindered access to the treasures of science, culture and art.

In our country, we attach great importance to preparing youth to master the creative processes. Sociological studies show that people are particularly capable of highly creative achievements when they have already been accustomed in their young years to solving problems on their own. Their creative activity can then be extended to a considerably longer period of life. It is more difficult to acquire a problem-solving way of thinking at the age of 25 or 35 than it is at the age of 10 or 18.

In order to develop the creative capabilities of gifted schoolchildren at an early stage, we are intensively employed in giving the polytechnic nature of socialist schooling an even more comprehensive effect. In the scientific subjects, particularly those of "Introduction to Socialist Production'' and "Practical Work," which are taught in the enterprises, schoolchildren are introduced to contemporary technology. Their curiosity and their desire to learn are thus awakened and those children who are particularly interested in technology 67 Lothar Janke

are identified. It is a significant task of popular education to promote such talents in a purposive way.

Likewise, many varying extracurricular possibilities are utilized. As in the case of sport, talented young people are prepared at an early date for their future tasks in science and technology, particularly in technical fields such as electronics, physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics.

Well-proven structures have grown up over the past years, such as inventors' workshops, school work communities, schoolchildren's academies, specialists' camps, speci alists meetings, honorary design offices, inventors' schools, the "Messe der Meister von Morgen" (MMM) ("Fair of Tomorrow's Masters") movement, youth research collectives and the young inventors' competition.

I would like now to speak of a number of these structures: the Office for Inventions and Patents of the German Democratic Republic generates and supports, in collaboration with the press organs , the c reative activi ty of schoolchildren. Thus, in 1979, together with the "Trommel" newspaper of the socialist children's organization "Young Pioneers," it called into bei ng an "inventor's workshop". This serves to develop the creative capabilities and capacities o f schoolchildren from the f ourth to the seventh class. You can obtain more information here at this Exhibition.

In response to the inventive tasks given to them, the children look for solutions that, primarily, are technically unusual. At this level, the inventive concept of "no t yet having existed" does not yet appea r to the fo refront. 68 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

The emphasis is placed much more on fantasy, the capability of applying their own knowledge and own experience and concerning themselves intensively with the world about them.

The inventive tasks cover activities in the area of schooling and leisure. They provide an incentive to puzzling and cogitating. In recent years, hundreds of children have participated in these inventor's workshops. The work gives great pleasure to all of them, extends their knowledge, is an effective contribution to the formation of personality and in many cases leads to technical solutions that are valid and novel. As a reward for their achievements, the most successful participants are invited to an interesting afternoon spent with the President of the Office for Inventions and Patents.

The most successful examples of the encouragement of schoolchildren depend essentially on the commitment of the teacher or sponsor in each case, who acts, in a way, like a trainer. Naturally, he must himself possess the most recent technical knowledge and have corresponding capabilities in teaching and methodology.

The school work circles at the polytechnic upper schools cater, under the supervision of experienced teachers, for 10 to 16 year old schoolchildren who have special interest, inquisitiveness and tenacity in a specific field of science. These work circles are characterized by an atmosphere of creative unrest which is a precondition for developing the desire to discover new correlations. The children are trained to develop independent solutions. This is important for the generation of their own creative capabilities. The head of the work circle has the task of finding new challenges each time 69 Lothar Janke

to the keeness and will to act of the schoolchildren by setting objectives that go beyond the current status of their knowledge.

Many of these work circles maintain close contacts with everyday practice in the enterprises in their area. This promotes an understanding of practical problems and expands their knowledge of how things can be solved.

A good example of this type of work is to be found in the electronics work circle that has existed for some 10 years now

at the "Friedrich H~hnel Upper School'' in Karl-Marx-Stadt. The circle is represented here at this Exhibition with their development of a multifunctional magnetic tape control unit. Many children in this work circle have acquired knowledge by completion of the tenth class that corresponds to that of a good specialized worker.

A further type of development for gifted schoolchildren is to be found in the specialists camps and specialists meetings held during the school holidays. It has been a tradition for some years now in our Republic that schoolchildren whose interests are already strongly developed in a given specialized field should meet in this way, that they should work together on projects of social utility and that during the course of one school year they should concern themselves instensively in work circles, in their leisure time, with questions and problems from science and technology, art, culture and sport and . A large number of enterprises, scientific and cultural facilities are open to these young specialists. They meet scientists, engineers, specialized workers, heads of enterprises and cultural officials who constitute sympathetic partners. 70 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

For the schoolchildren, a stay in a specialists' camp is a time during which they can further develop their capabilities and capacities, satisfy their curiosity and work on problems with passion, tenacity and joy. Of course, these holiday weeks also cover many other collective experiences in sport, games, hiking and tourism.

Pioneers and members of the Socialist youth organization of our country "Free German Youth'' (FDJ), who have proved their capacities in the schools' competition "Who knows better--Who can do it better?", may apply to participate in the specialists' camps and meetings. An interesting and varied offer awaits them with tasks that challenge their activity, stimulate their work, even throughout the subsequent school year, motivate towards more conscious and creative learning and at the same time give an incentive for meaningful and useful leisure activities.

Some of these specialists' camps take the form of a schoolchildren's inventor school. The future innovators and rationalizers who participate in these camps are technically gifted boys and girls who become acquainted with inventive methods and systematically train their memory and creativeness.

In recent years, the universities and technical colleges of the GDR have also developed an increasingly large commitment to the promotion of the creative activities of schoolchildren. For instance, for over a year now, the Technical University of possesses a scientific schoolchildren's work circle. Twice a month, over 60 girls and boys from the eighth, ninth and tenth classes of Dresden's schools meet at 71 Lothar Janke

the Technical University in order to acquire additional practical and theoretical knowledge to prepare them for their subsequent university studies.

A good idea, a new technical solution resulting from individual and community thinking or from specific research and development, is always particularly effective if it can be made widely known with speed and a useful application devised in the short-term. We have found and developed a structure that has since become one of the most successful mass movements of youth in the "Fair of Tomorrow's Masters" (MMM). Here in this Exhibition you can obtain information on this movement . Already in 1958, the first MMM was opened at a venue steeped 1n tradition, the "St~dtisches Kaufhaus" of the Leipzig Fair. Almost 400 clubs of young technicians and some 500 individual participants were showing thei r technical and artistic works was reported in the press at the time.

Since then, a Cent ral MMM has followed each subsequent year and the number of participants, together with the exhibition surface, has continually grown. The MMM has become the central show of the achievements of young innovators, students and young scientists . It has also helped to promote the exchange of experience particularl y in the field of talent promotion. An evergrowing number of enterprises apply for the right to make use of the exhibits shown there .

In 1975 it became obvious that the MMM had turned into the most important mass movement of the FDJ in the scientific, technical and economic field. Hundreds of thousands of young workers, mostly in collectives together with young technologists and designers, pa r ticipate d in t he MMM at 72 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

enterprise level, district level, provincial level or centrally. The original "do it yourself'' competition for schoolchildren and apprentices had become a proving field for the creativeness of youth. Last year, over 1.2 million young people participated in the MMM movement.

The 27th Central MMM, in November 1984, produced results as never before. The 2,344 exhibits shown on the traditional grounds of the Leipzig Fair represented an annual value of 500 million marks. 27,000 young inventors and innovators from enterprises and school work circles participated in the fair. Many of the exhibits were novelties that would have been justified in international industrial fairs. Protection was applied for in respect of 389 articles. I may give the example of the "Ursamar 5001" microprocessor control unit from the "Friedrich Ebert Electrical Appliance Works'' in Berlin. This control unit for use in power stations was developed by young engineers. The economic value can be expressed in millions. The device, that uses microelectronics originating in the GDR, requires only one-third of the volume of conventional technology despite its greater performance and reliability. A number of patents have been applied for and series production began this year.

The success of the young graduate engineers and inventors who shared in this development, as also the officials contributing to the MMM, the experience of having done something useful and of great economic value to the country, and for which they obtained recognition, is of great value. It provides the incenti ve for new and mo r e demanding tasks. The atmosphere and the level of the MMM movement have had an effect on the creative wo r k of youth in all its forms. 73 Lothar Janke

The MMM movement and the activities within work circles likewise promote the creativeness of apprentices during their vocational training. Further development of vocational training includes the requirement that every apprentice and every FDJ group should participate each year in an MMM task.

More than two-thirds of all apprentices were included in the MMM movement during the past years. In the "Ernst Thalmann Mobilization of the FDJ" the apprentices set themselves the objective, as their contribution to the preparation of the eleventh party conference of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, to contend even more strongly for scientific and technical achievements at the highest level and their comprehensive economic utilization. An important part is played in that project by more than 1,300 work circles of apprentices in the scientific and technical field.

For example, the VEB Mikroelektronik Stahnsdorf has adopted an approach that could well be copied. All apprentices coming to the end of their apprenticeship are given homework subjects that demand creative achivements. The apprentices in the electrical engineering and electronics branch were given tasks whose solutions led to a number of MMM exhibits. This approach promotes initiative and eagerness, has a positive effect on the apprentice's creative endeavors.

The quality of the work in such work circles, as in the school work circles, depends essentially on the way in which the responsible supervisors in the enterprises and the vocational training officials comprehend and implement this 74 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

political and pedagogical task. Intensive promotion and development of the scientific and technical creativeness of apprentices, in their extracurricular duties as well, brings rewards.

The development of inventive work and creativity on a broad basis and at a high level places us before new tasks in the training and education of new scientific and technical generations at the specialized schools, technical colleges and universities. The demands placed on tomorrow's engineers, particularly those with responsibility for research and development, have increased decisively in recent years and will continue to increase. Already today, without speaking of tomorrow, we need engineers, research workers, scientists that are willing and able to achieve the highest creative performances. We are tenaciously striving to ensure that our graduates from universities and technical colleges and young scientists should become inventively active at a much earlier juncture than hitherto. Future engineers must not only be acquainted but also made fully familiar with inventive procedures during their studies. They must be educated in the willingness to strive for advanced achievements and a comprehensive capability imparted to them.

Young research workers, developers, designers and technologists must be clearly aware at the start of their activities, at the latest, that socialist society expects top-level achievements of them, that inventiveness belongs to their tasks and also that they will be assessed on the results of such work. To be inventive is not only a matter of gifts. Inventing has to be "learnt" and can be picked up from experience in working out and recognizing the potentially 75 Lothar Janke

inventive idea and pursuing it right up to the drafting of a patent application.

The basis for the inventor's work is primarily comprised of sound specialized knowledge and capacities together with the capability of approaching the processing and solution of scientific and technical problems in a systematic way. This also means that students should be made capable of critically examining the current worldwide state-of-the-art on the basis of the information contained in patent literature and derive from it the the necessary quality of the solutions to be found. Likewise, students should be able to start from the characteristics of an invention and recognize those technical solutions that are protectable and for which rapid and comprehensive patent protection can be obtained. This also means, of course, that they must learn how to apply rational and effective methods of creative work to good purpose when resolving scientific and technical problems. The early effectiveness of our scientific and technical youth, that is objectively necessary, requires that these matters become increasingly a continuous feature of the study program. Possibilities of including students in practical industrial property work are given, for instance, by carrying out industrial property searches or preliminary searches, participation in the practical evaluation of the protectability of ideas and solutions found by lecturers and scientific staff of research groups and of the creative participation of the best students in processing patentable solutions right up to drafting of the corresponding patent applications.

In addition, increasing use is made of student associations, periods of practical training, degree theses and 76 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

doctoral theses, as a challenge to achieve solutions of patentable level. Thus, the students at the Technical College in Ilmenau are required to work on patentable solutions at an early juncture. It is a requirement that they submit a patent application together with their degree thesis. One result of this procedure is that the Technical College produces a high proportion of the inventions made by the youth of our country.

Briefly: students must have practical experience of inventing and industrial property. Within the unified context of training, education and research, students must be given an industrial property capability.

An important requirement is, above all, that an example is set by the lecturers. Where the communication of technical and scientific knowledge within a speci alized course of study is closely bound up with the transfer of the lecturer's personal experience and know-how in the achievement of patentable solutions, the desired educational successes are also obtained.

On completion of their studies, the methodological capabilities of the young must be intensified and deepened in the processing of inventions. "Inventor Schools" of the Chamber of Technology (KdT), the Socialist engineer's association of the GDR, have i ncreasingly become a focal point for young graduates of universities and technical schools in all the provinces of our country. Under the motto "experienced inventors train future inventors," alone i n 1984 almost 900 university and technical school graduates of which two-thirds were younger than 35, participated in such events. 77 Lothar Janke

In the processing of scientific and technical achievements at the highest level it is above all the ideas of young scientists and engineers that are in demand. Side by side with experienced personnel in research and development, in precess

t~chnology and in technology, in the organization of production and in the direction of economic processes, young graduates with their acquired knowledge must become rapidly effective. They must be spurred on by demanding tasks. Ingenuity and no lack of ideas for new and unconventional solutions are in demand. This need has been met increasingly by the FDJ youth research collective set up in recent years. They have proved to constitute rich sources for the purposeful deployment of the intellectual potential and creative capabilities of young university and technical school graduates.

Youth research collectives constitute a special form of youth collectives which resolve demanding tasks within the scientifical and technical plans and to thus proceed into unknown scientific and technical country. Their members are primarily young graduates who have completed their studies not longer than five years ago.

Currently more than 3000 youth research collectives are at work in industrial plants and research and development facilities of the GDR employed in the solution of scientifical and technical focal point tasks. Within these collectives, young scientists, engineers, students, workers, collective peasants and apprentices work closely together with more senior colleagues. 78 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Many enterprises confirm that the socialist community work within the MMM movement has received new incentives through the work of the youth research collectives.

Thus, for example, over 360 youth research collectives of the FDJ contribute in enterprises and facilities in the province of Halle to the increasing rate and economic effectiveness of science and technology. They have so far submitted 279 patent applications.

The training and promotion of youth research collectives are a reflection of the high esteem of socialist society for the effective activities of young members of the scientific and technical intelligenzia and for their personal development. In the industrial enterprises and in their plants, management undertakes great efforts to create the necessary conditions for successful work on the part of the youth research collectives. They place their confidence in the young intelligenzia. They stimulate the best results both morally and materially, promote the exchange of experience and generalize exemplary experience. Youth research collectives present outstanding possibilities of putting one's own ideas into practice, of not only criticizing what already exists but altering it and realizing acquired knowledge and long held objectives.

An important structure for bringing out and promoting the creative achievements of youth is constituted by the "young inventors' competition" inaugurated in November 1982 by ''Junge Welt" (''Young World"), the da i ly newspaper of the FDJ, the presidium of the Chamber of Technology and the Office f o r Inventions and Patents of the GDR. This compe titi on a r ose f rom a proposal made by young invento r s at the 25th Central MMM with 79 Lothar Janke

the aim of achieving more top level performances in science and technology. Detailed information is given at this Exhibition.

FDJ members throughout the country, young engineers, scientists, students, youth research collectives, youth brigades and young workers of less than 30 years of age were called upon to submit their ideas for new articles and products with the highest utility and greatest economical value, to put forward their proposals for new technologies and processes with greatest work productivity and effectiveness and to devise new solutions for a drastic improvement in material and energy economies and for improved exploitation of domestic raw materials.

The State managers at all levels, up to that of minister, were called upon to allot challenging, demanding scientific and technical tasks to the most talented young innovators and inventors. Scientists, technicians and inventors were called upon to use their experience to promote the ideas and initiatives of young inventors, to advise them and to support them.

The results of the young inventors' competition so far are most promising. By the end of the first half of 1985, almost 5,200 young people under 30 years of age took part in the competition. Increasingly, young scientists and technicians participate.

At present, one out of four of these inventors is less than 25 years of age. Over 80 were younger than 19. At the Office for Inventions and Patents, patents were applied for in respect of some 4,200 inventions. The universities and 80 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

technical schools had submitted 750 of those applications. In 1984, one out of nine patent applications in the GDR was already a result of the young inventors' competition. It is clear from the technical fields covered by the inventions that young inventors are participating in the focal points of scientific and technical development within our country. The youth research collectives are the most important structure within this process. The number of inventions, with a total value in excess of one million marks, has grown.

Such achievements are highly rewarded both morally and materially. Thus, the best achievements receive a prize in addition to the remuneration awarded to each patent application. Particularly outstanding achievements receive prizes from the Minister for Science and Technology and from the President of the Office for Inventions and Patents.

Practical proof of the performance of young inventors in the GDR, the results of the effect of the manifold forms of scientific and technical activities for youth, particularly the MMM movement, may be seen in the representative selection of over 230 exhibits from our country here at the World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors. More than 250 patent applications in respect of thes~ exhibits have resulted from the young inventors' competition.

I would like to mention three examples of exhibits that have already been shown at the Central MMM of our Republic, whose creative achievements have already been awarded prizes in the young inventors' competition by the Office for Inventions and Patents. Firstly, there is the invention of a 81 Lothar Janke

square-groove frog and crossover element by the Friedrich Liszt Transport High School in Dresden. It is used in tramway points and crossovers and also in crossovers in tramways and railways. It is expected that the first year of utilization of this invention will bring a useful value of 100,000 Marks.

Secondly, the invention of a tube expander by the Madgeburg Diesel Engine and Industrial Plant Combine. It is used in the hydraulic expanding and pressure-pro of fix i ng of tube sections in the drill holes of drilled plates. This invention is of use in many areas of our national economy.

Thirdly, the invention by a youth research collective at the Institute for Technical Microbiology of Berlin for a process for the production of dihydroxypropanone. Thi s substance, obtained microbially, can be used in the cosmet ics industry and as a laboratory substance in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This process enables costs and working time to be saved and avoids t h e need for imports.

I have spoken of experience gained in the deve l o pme n t of creativity and promotion of young people's inve ntive a cti v i ties in the German Democratic Republic. I have clearly shown that the youth of our count r y assumes an important r ole i n ma stering the considerable demands o f the extraordinari l y rapi d p rogress made in science and technology. In t he 36 year s t ha t ou r Republic has existed our youth po l icy has been determined by a principal of our State, that is to trust youth and t o give it responsibility in all social fields. We a re p roud of t h at which has been achieved a nd a re a l so awa r e o f t he reserves t ha t will have to be mobilize d in o r de r t o me e t fu t u re dema nds . I n 82 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

so doing, we shall also make use of the experience obtained through this Symposium.

Footnotes

1. Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, at the 13th FDJ parliament, Neues Deutschland 25/26.05.1985,p.3

2. S.L. Rubinstein, Prinzipien und Wege der Entwicklung der Psychologie, Berlin 1969, p. 112 - 113

* * * Mr. George Lewett Chief, Office of Energy-Related Inventions, National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, United States of America

FOSTERING GENERAL AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF INVENTIVENESS

Introduction

The U.S . . today shares with most countries a national concern with the issues of productivity, job creation, economic development, and international trade, and a commitment to technological innovation--i.e, the invention, development, and commercialization of new and improved products and technology--as a key factor in effectively addressing these issues. There is therefore considerable attention focused on stimulating and encouraging innovation.

It is my contention that invention and the role of the inventor receive insufficient attention compa r ed to the process of commercializing the invention. The reasons for this are complex: people feel mo r e comfortable dealing with concepts and practices involved in commercialization; people do not relate as well to science, technology, and invention. Further, the commercialization produces direct and usable benefits that are clearly attributable to the innovator, the entrepreneur, or the company that brings the invention to market .

The invention- -the original source of the technolo gy-- as the root cause, and the inventor - - who provides the fir s t driving force--generally go unrecognized unless someone ma kes a specific effort to direct attentio n to the m. I have often heard people in the venture field say that t he p r incipal ingredient in a successful vent ure is mana geme n t . I h a v e no r eason to question this t r ui s m, but when the sta tement gets 84 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

turned around to imply that the venture technology (invention) has no importance, that is not only foolish, but disturbing.

The purpose of this article is to describe what is being done in the U.S. to foster awareness of the importance of the inventor and of the act of invention, and to discuss what else needs to be done. Since "awareness" has little value unless it translates into encouragement and support of invention, I will also address the question of inventor needs.

Inventors and Inventiveness

We want to foster a "general awareness" of the importance of inventiveness (and therefore inventors) because we want to increase the number of active inventors and thereby the benefits to society which derive from invention.

The potential for technological creativity is a talent which is distributed widely in a population. We wish to increase the number of individuals who recognize, develop and exercise this talent.

For this purpose, award programs and other schemes that recognize the past achievements of inventors don't help much; we have many such programs including our National Inventors Hall of Fame awards and some 20 different state "inventor of the year" or "hall of fame" awards. We must rather consider activities that nurture creative potentia l and encourage its development. 85 George Lewett

Generally, the importance of invention to society and the rewards accruing to a successful invention should always be emphasized. However, we must also review what we mean by "importance," if we are to get the idea across to the struggling innovator.

For example, when we discuss the importance of inventiveness or invention, we automatically tend to focus on major inventions such as the transistor and Xerography. We assess their importance qualitatively in terms of impact on human behavior and society; and quantitatively in terms of the billion-dollar enterprises and markets that can be traced to such inventions.

Few people, however, can personally relate to such landmark inventive accomplishments. From where they are--in the garage or at the workbench--it is almost impossible to see in their technologies an embryonic Hewlett-Packard or Xerox. To increase interest in and appreciation of invention as a practical occupation, we must provide a more balanced picture of inventors and their accomplishments, emphasizing the contemporary possibilities in terms of breadth, depth and sheer variety of possible technical achievements.

This is not easy to do in the United States. The image of the inventor held by the general public is generally the image promulgated by the media, and it is very poor. The inventor frequently appears as eccentric, single-minded, and so focused on his technology that he seems emotionally and mentally unstable. The media have no incentive to call attention to the average, normal inventor, the-- technologically-- creative person who on a day-to-day basis applies his gifts to solve technical 86 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

problems or to create the myriad new products coming on the market each year. Unfortunately, the bulk of inventors--the "normal" population--are not known as inventors. Shying away from the popular image as an "eccentric," they usually prefer some more acceptable occupational title: engineer, technician, salesman, dentist, or whatever.

The basic importance of invention is obvious--we have only to cite the landmark inventions to demonstrate this. Emphasizing that importance, however, will not necessarily motivate potential inventors. We must find ways to show that inventiveness embodies positive personal characteristics generally, that in many areas of human endeavor it is a principal factor in achieving success, and that in our current technological world the inventive person has increasing value to his society. Simply convincing the public of the fact that the inventor population does not consist of a handful of isolated eccentrics would constitute a major step in the right direction. The size and variety of that population in the United States is obscured because relatively few people who make inventions refer to themselves as inventors.

In practice, the word "inventor" is used generically as "a person who has invented" rather than as an occupational title. The professional, full-time inventors, who pursue invention as an occupation, are few and really are exceptions. This is consistent with the exercise of creativity in the fine arts; relatively few people with ability or talent work as full-time professional sculptors or painters, for example. Nevertheless creative talent thrives in the practice of many occupations and professions, and often underlies the distinction accorded to master practitioners in many fields. 87 George Lewett

The value of a talent or an aptitude depends upon its degree of development; development, in turn, depends on education, training and practice. First, of course, is the problem of identification, i.e., recognition that a person has a natural talent or aptitude that can be developed. It seems logical that young people who demonstrate a talent for technological creativity should be encouraged to develop it by pursuit of a technical education. I do not believe, however, that that is the whole answer and, in fact, it may be only a small part of the answer. Creativity is not a universal, or even an essential, characteristic of engineers and scientists. As with almost any occupation or profession, particularly those which have a sizable interface with technology, individual creativity will enhance performance; nevertheless, it is not a requirement for, or even an assurance of, excellence in the practice of engineering or scientific research.

There is no question that the more a creative person knows about science and technology, the better. The best inventors have been highly competent engineers or scientists, usually before becoming inventors. However, a non-technically-educated person often invents, and sometimes educates himself technically beyond the university level, while developing his idea. It is recognized that experience is a major factor in invention. It may be that it is primary, with depth and breadth of knowledge most often serving only to facilitate idea development after the inventor has identified a need.

It seems to me that we need to look more closely at the question of talent recognition and development where the talent is technological creativity. We are concerned about it in a different way than we are concerned about other talents. 88 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Proper development, on a wide scale among the national population, can be considered critical to technological progress. It needs separate, specialized attention, and should not continue to be confused with concurrent requirements to maintain a sufficient population of qualified engineers and scientists.

In a country such as the United States, the size and diversity of the population, the complex structure of the educational system and the need for coordination of programs that transcend state boundaries, mean that the Federal Government must play some role in whatever plan may emerge to recognize and nurture inventive talents on a national scale. In the last decade or so, we have come increasingly to the realization that inventors are a precious national resource, and it has been my good fortune to be involved in the one Federal program dedicated to encouraging inventors in general and specific inventions in particular. As Federal programs go, this one remains small in terms of personnel and costs, but its success, which I'll discuss in a moment, validates my contention that inventiveness is a widespread characteristic 1n American society, and that it can be discovered and encouraged.

The Energy-Related Inventions Program

The role of Government in stimulating innovation is well defined in the United States. The principal governmental functions are clear: first, to provide appropriate economic, financial and business climates for private-sector-driven innovation; and second, to operate a strong and effective patent system. Also, as a by-product of necessary Government 89 George Lewett

involvement in R&D, there is emphasis on effective technology 1 and on assuring that Government R&D funds are so allocated as to encourage innovation, not only among large but also small firms. My program, the Energy-Related Inventions Program (ERIP) (which will be discussed further below) came into being in 1975 as a result of legislation designed to support the individual inventor and the small business in that way.

In an additional role, Government in the United States can be viewed as a "facilitator'' of innovation. For example, Government-conducted basic research and standardization activities (as conducted by my own agency, the National Bureau of Standards), provide the scientific framework necessary to foster continued innovation. Government information dissemination activities, ranging from extending access to patent literature to collecting and providing access to business statistics for market research, are also essential in supporting innovation.

Possibly of greatest importance, however, is the general leadership role of Government in exercising a national or global perspective to identify issues and initiate action towards resolution. Our interest in fostering awarene ss falls into this category, as does the current effort in the United States to increase and improve scientific and engineering personnel resources .

My own program, the ERIP, wa s est abl ished in 1975. Independent invento r s and small businesses submit energy-related inventions to the Nat i onal Bureau of Standards' (NBS) Office of Energy-Relat ed Invent i o ns (OERI). OERI evaluates them and recommends those which meet technical, 90 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

commercial and energy-related criteria to the Department of Energy (DOE) for possible Government investment.

Since inception, we have received some 22,000 evaluation requests, accepted about half of these for evaluation, and recommended 320 for Government support. Approximately $14 million in grants or contracts have been awarded to date on some 200 recommended inventions; the remainder are either in process (91) or have received other than financial assistance.

Operation is continuous; we currently review about 200 inventions a month for evaluation and we recommend, fairly steadily, three to four inventions per month. Operations can be described as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

NBS DOE/ItNENTOR PRIVATE SECTOR r------, r------~ Acceptance 1st Stage 2 nd St a ge V enture Formotion Ma r~ct Screen Evaluation Evaluation & Initiation Penetrati0n 1000 500 50 15 ? 3

Energy­ R elat ed Invention Eva luation 1~- R eque s tl

Submitted Accept ed lor Define d e.s Recommended Linked to · s uccesses· Requests Evaluation ' Promi sing· Private Sector Support 91 George Lewett

As can be seen, for every 1,000 invention evaluation requests received, 15 are recommended to DOE after completion of three screening steps--the first, whether or not to accept for evaluation; the second, a brief technical screening to identify promising inventions; the third, an in-depth analysis examining both technical and commercial feasibility. Our objective in supporting recommended inventions is to bring them to the point where they can exist in the marketplace on their own, i.e., to the point where private sector sources of support or the marketplace takes over. We find that about 20 to 30% of those recommended (three in the chart) end up as being, to some extent or the other, "successful."

The support process to do this is not easy. The gap between recommendation and private sector pick-up can be difficult to close. Figure 2 shows how this problem varies with the stage of development of the recommended inventions.

Figure 2

EXTENDED EVALUATION DOE BROKERING PRIVATE SECTOR

Tech Commercial STAGE OF D iagnosi s Feasibility Feasibility R & D Vent we DEVELOPMENT Planning V alidation · Establishment ·Finane in!} Ca pi l ~ l 15 7 I \ \ ... ' I 1 ' ' \ 1 3 \ CONCEPT DEFINITION ', \ \ ------~-1irc,-----~ , I CONCEPT \ DEVELOPMENT ',, \, I \ ' ' \ LABORATORY TEST ',2 \ I -----E-:-N_ G_I_N -EE_ R_I_N-G -D-,-E _.S-,-1G-N-i------'1;-,-, __ ___,.,_, __ _.\ \ \ ' ' \ \ ', ', \ I ' ' \ \ MODELING ', 4 ' \ 'J ' ' •

PROTOTYPE r,, ', \ I DEVELOPMENT \ \ I I \ \ ' \ ' ' I \ PROTOT YPE TEST ' ,2 '\

PRODUCTION I ENGINEERING I \ I MARKET TEST I

PRODUCTION 1 1 ' Clecom ended Recommended Lin~ed l o priva t e secl or suoporl 92 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

As Figure l indicates, responsibilities of DOE & NBS in our joint program are clearly distinguished. DOE is responsible for activities aimed at fostering usage, i.e., commercialization of recommended inventions--the more difficult part of the job, in my opinion; NBS is responsible for evaluation and for supplementary activities aimed at increasing or maintaining input to the evaluation process. In effect, NBS focuses on "invention" and DOE on "innovation,'' defining innovation as the process of bringing an invention to market.

Supplementary NBS Activities

Informing inventors about the program and encouraging them to make use of it is a basic program requirement. As our experience developed, we found that we had to pay attention to invention quality--we had to target "serious'' inventors; that inventors were hard to reach--university, inventor organizations and technical journal routes of communication were not sufficient; that inventors were poorly informed and were not making use of existing educational and informational resources. Most significant, however, the public image of the inventor was found to be so poor that not only was he frequently an object of derision--but it carried over to his being viewed in academic, business and financial circles with an absolute lack of credibility.

In response to this, we initiated and are conducting several subsidiary programs addressing the direct programmatic needs--the need to establish a communication network so as to reach inventors better, and the need to improve inventor education and access to information so as to improve invention 93 George Lewett

quality. Three of these activities are noted and defined briefly in Figure 3. The results of those programs have been such as to draw attention to the needs not only of the independent inventor but generally of inventors, whether they work independently, 1n a small company or in a corporate laboratory.

Figure 3

(1) National Congress of Inventor Organizations (NCIO): supports growth and effectiveness of inventor organizations.

(2) National Innovation Workshops: a series of two-day workshops to inform inventors and provide instruction on elements of the innovation process.

(3) Inventor Information Resource Centers: enhance capabilities of libraries to service information needs of inventors.

Our program, of course, 1s not unique in addressing the national requirement to stimulate innovation. Ther e a re many other agencies in the United States, particularly at t he state, local, and federal government levels, and in universities, which have responded to the same requi r ement. The r esult , of course, is increasing public awareness of t he importance o f invention and innovation. We can summar i ze c o nt r ibuting activities as follows:

formation of local, state and nat i onal invento r organizations;

establishment of small business development center s, innovation centers, ente rprise incubation centers, 94 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

and other private and public sector units organized to advise and assist in innovation;

conduct of inventor exhibitions, fairs and contests;

publication of newsletters, magazines, newspaper columns and special sections discussing new inventions or products and happenings of interest in innovation;

establishment of state and federal government task forces, commissions, university and ad-hoc committees to study and report on requirements and initiate means to stimulate innovation and economic development;

development of innovation-oriented curricula and lecture series for continuing education by school systems, libraries, technical and professional societies;

increased research program activity in universities to study the innovation process and its effects on job creation, economic development, and productivity;

initiation of television and radio programs and series reviewing inventions, interviewing inventors, and generally calling attention, as a matter of general interest, to invention and innovation. 95 George Lewett

Needs and Requirements

This considerable activity in stimulating innovation in the United States (particularly in the small business sector) demonstrates the impact that a shift in public awareness can have. A major factor igniting this activity was the research finding, published some five years ago, that small businesses were responsible for creating most new jobs. At a time when unemployment was of critical public interest, this catalyzed a major change in public attitude towards the entrepreneur. While his public image previously had been somewhat negative or at best neutral, suddenly the entrepreneur emerged in a very positive light as a "doer," one of the people who had answers to problems that were threatening the fundamental security of the workers. Our trust in the corporate giants had deteriorated with loss of technological superiority and markets, for example, in automobiles, electronics and steel. The job creation ability of entrepreneurial small businesses offered hope and promise.

The link between the entrepreneur and job security was direct and impressive to the average person. A simila r l i nk must be made for the inventor, the technologically creative person, if his importance is to be fully realized. I expect to initiate one effort to do this. This will be an awa r ds program in which the criteria for award will emphasize the societal benefits, notably job creation, generated by contemporary inventions.

In addition to these current activities, we nee d a broader, more long-term approach to the problem of increasing awareness of the importance of innovation and the role of the 96 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

inventor. For example, we need further to develop evidence that will more clearly document the effects of technological creativity on society. This research should push beyond major inventions and "high technology" advances. Too much emphasis on major inventions and "high technology'' tends to obscure the fact that myriad new low technology products and engineering improvements in existing products and processes may contribute as much, particularly in the short run.

This long-term approach should include a program that begins in the public school system. Evidence that encouragement of creativity in school children produces results can be found in the fact that the annual science fair conducted by the Westinghouse Corporation has produced half a dozen winners who later went on to become Nobel laureates. We do see some growing interest in developing inventive talent in the schools, as manifested by programs emerging in the states of New York and New Jersey.

Ultimately, if programs for primary and secondary children take root, they will have to be adapted and extended into the post-secondary educational structure--i n universities, colleges and vocational technical schools. That such programs might emerge is not a remote possibility. Ten years ago, most Americans couldn't spell the word "entrepr eneur,'' but now literally dozens of post-secondary programs in entrepreneurship are in operation across the United States--a powerful demonstration of the results that can follow an increased public awareness of a national need.

Fostering a general awareness of the importance of inventiveness thus is a mission whose importance is, in my 97 George Lewett

view, second only to the enormous potential benefits that it offers. History documents the critical role that the individual inventor has played in the development of modern society, but we cannot wait for future historians to show that such people still exist, still contribute, and could, with appropriate encouragement do much, much more. That is the task that concerns and confronts us all.

* * *

Mr. A. Narbut and Mrs. N. Narbut, Researchers, Public Laboratory of Invention Theory Soviet Union

FROM THE EXCHANGE OF INVENTIONS TO THE EXCHANGE OF METHODS

Our colleagues engaged in elaborating or implementing inventions on a large scale cannot fail to have noted a very clear trend: ever more frequently, the international trade partners seek to acquire not a finished industrial product, but a secret or a method for producing it. The varying forms of trade in inventions are becoming more and more advantageous to the various partners. It is clear that such exchange of inventions actively contributes to speeding up the industrial development of those countries participating in the exchange. It is not necessary to give figures since these are widely known.

Why is it therefore that the overwhelming majority of inventions obtained originate in the industrially developed countries (particularly Japan) and why is it that the countries of the "Third World," the developing countries, make such little use of this effective means of strengthening their industry?

Analysis of this situation brings us to the following conclusion: the majority of modern inventions are intended for technical systems that are at a very high level. Consequently, their use in the relatively less advanced industry of developing countries is either altogether impossible or possible only after substantial prior adaptation, that is to say after the development of a new solution that corresponds to the level of the existing technical systems. In addition, the purchase of inventions (e.g. through licenses) frequently implies the purchase of the corresponding equipment from the 100 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

other country and leads to a degree of dependency on that country.

In all those cases, the developing countries are forced to pay an excessively high price to develop their industry. The conclusion is obvious: if inventions are necessary to developing countries, but their purchase is not economically valid, it is therefore much more rational to "produce the inventions" directly within the country. Moreover, inventions should ideally occur at the exact place where the need is felt: within a specific factory, plant, scientific establishment or farm. In other words, any country that wishes to become industrially developed has need of a system for producing inventions. The first step along the path to creating such a system must be to familiarize senior engineers with the principles of the modern theory on the solution of inventive problems (TSIP).

The basic principle of this theory is the fact that the orientation of the development of technical systems is objective, that is to say it depends neither on our possibilities nor on our needs. Naturally, without man, technology cannot develop. Man speeds up or slows down the development of a given technical system, he creates new systems and abandons old ones. However, once he has begun with the development of a given system, development will proceed according to principles that are out of his control.

An analogy can be made between a technical system and a railway truck. A man can push a truck with all the strength he can muster, but the fastest movement will only be achieved if he pushes in the direction of the rails. So far, the analysis 101 A. Narbut, N. Narbut

of tens of thousands of technical systems taken fro~- ~i~~l · life" has enabled some ten basic laws to be establish-ed f-o.r their development. It has also been discovered that any technical system whatsoever can be modeled as a compact system comprising objects and fields. The simplest functional system may be comprised of two objects and one field.

The developers of TSIP are continuing to collect information in order to give the abstract models and laws a practical technical content that takes into consideration tJie latest scientific achievements (particularly in physics,) . . The laws of development, the object-field models and the information bank in turn enable structures to be set op ~ f6r the inventive solution of real technical engineering problems. To return to the analogy of the railway, the development of a technical system may be represented as a railway line. The whole field of technology thus takes , on the form of a railway network with a large number of branches. In order to s·o.lve an inventive problem it would be necessary, in such a model, to displace a "truck" from one track to another in order to reach the desired location whatever the point of departure.

At first glance, all is simple. However, there always exists an obstacle to the change of track. "Inventions are necessary for the development of industry, but inventions are not desired if one has to pay too much for them." That 1s more or less the situation any inventive problem is reduced to. To identify the basic obstacle to the development of a technical system using a given set of means to overcome the obstacle is a working principle that constitutes an important component of TSIP: the algorithm for solving inventive problems (ASIP). 102 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

With the aid of ASIP, problems can be resolved prog~r·E!s - sively, step by step. Starting from an actual situation, an abstract model is set up and the reciprocal action of the elements in the model is studied down to the contradictory physical requirements with respect to the condition or state of one of those elements.

In this context, a .: iio-~ance is made for the fact that tecli'nical systems strive towards an ideal, as also other laws of development, and varying methods are used to overcome the cont~adict~ons. In some cases, rules have been derived from well-known object-field models, enabling optimum decisions to be reached directly without a lengthy analysis (the so-called TSIP standards). Mention should also be made of the importance of a course held on the development of creative imagination. It enables management of the psychological factors involved in the process of solving inventive problems.

Unfortunately, the time available for the lecture does not permit us to cite a sufficient number of examples of the use of the theory of solution of inventive problems (TSIP). Indeed, many inventions could be mentioned whi ch have been developed with the aid of this theory, both in the Soviet Union and in other countries. In Bulgaria, for instance, a number of seminars have been devoted to studying this theory during recent years, a series of books has been published and quite a few inventions have been made with its aid.

However, the most important aspect, in our view, is not the number of inventions. The importance lies in the fact that TSIP almost always leads to usable technical solutions whatever the problem involved. Additionally, the solution is compatible 103 A. Narbut, N. Narbut

with the existing technical system. In other words, TSIP can be used at all levels of production. And in every case the high quality of the solution is guaranteed as is its high degree of effectiveness. It is therefore already possible to state today that the exchange of inventions may be replaced by a wide-ranging exchange of the methods of obtaining inventions.

The Public Laboratory of Inventive Theory, which we have the honor to represent, has gathered a great deal of experience of such exchanges with colleagues from Bulgaria, the GDR, Poland, Viet Nam and other counties. Books by members of the Laboratory and by our scientific director Genrikh Altschuler have been translated in numerous countries throughout the world, including Japan, the USA and the United Kingdom. Training programs have been devised and tested, running from minimum introductory programs to fundamental programs involving two years of continuous training. We are willing to provide any assistance to public establishments or to individual enterprises in any country, either through the intermediary of WIPO or on the basis of bilateral agreements. We are convinced that such activities, which correspond fully with the aims of this seminar, will be useful for everyone.

* * *

Mrs. Nicolina Nenova, Researcher, Vocational Training Research Institute, Bulgaria

PREPARING SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR INVENTIVE AND INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY

The solution of major problems on which is based our country's overall policy for science and technology has need of creators possessing broad scientific, technical and professional knowledge and capable of integrating within their thought and action the technological dimensions and criteria of scientific and technical progress. This demands a direct link between science and production, between creative activity of the research workers in university institutes and that of rationalizers and inventors working in production .

A series of studies has shown that years go by before students graduating from secondary school become inventors and rationalizers, that is to say active par t i cipants in technical progress, but that, on the other hand, those who have actively participated in the various forms of technical creation at school constitute the largest contingent of inventors amo ng the workers. To increase the number of secondary school students who become inventors in active life, it is necessary to make them clearly aware, as a part of their teaching, of the essence of scientific and technical progress and of the results and features of the current stage of socialism and to generate in them a positive attitude and a desire and a wish to master the strategic orientations and to implement the most advanced techniques and, on the other hand, to create the necessary conditions for maximum use of capacities, strengthen the disposition and aptitude of young people for a creative effo rt of high efficiency and to familia r ize them with the bases of inventive activity and rati onalization and with methods o f technical creati vity. 106 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

The aim of this paper is to set out certain views expressed by a group of research workers at the Vocational Training Research Institute as regards the preparation of students for inventive activity and rationalization and experience acquired through research work into the possibilities of applying methods of technical creativity to the students' work both in school and outside school.

In our view, one of the ways in which to train students in matters linked with inventive activity and rationalization is to have them apply the methods of technical creativity to the solution of technical problems within the framework of technical creation work. By technical creation of the students, we mean an activity within the field of technology which is suitable for the search for the application of original ways for resolving technical problems and whose result comprises an individual or social value and is of subjective or objective novelty.

An empiric study carried out over a period of two years has shown that, in order to resolve technical problems, it was recommendable for the students to use the following methods in their technical creative work: Professor Arnold's method, phantogram method, "synectics," brainstorming, functional inventive activity method, etc. The methods and organization of activities related to technical problems are strictly differentiated as between school activities and forms of technical creativity outside school.

Within teaching devoted to general subjects df a technical nature {physics, chemistry, biology), professional subjects and technical, specialized subjects, the technical problems posed 107 Nicolina Nenova

are of a didactic nature and are closely linked with the topic or subject under study. The technical problems which the students are thus required to resolve therefore differ from those encountered by the inventor in the preciseness of their formulation. The statement of the problem contains all the facts required for its solution and does not demand highly specialized knowledge. The formulation of the problem has to be clear, precise and short and should implicitly contain the desired result, that is to say the effective solution to the technical problem, recognized as an invention.

As a general rule, the solution of a school problem is limited to discovering the notion of the invention, that is to say the discovery of the appropriate, satisfactory solution to a technical problem and its analysis, whereby experimental verification and implementation of the solution are not demanded. The basic aspect that must be emphasized 1s non-interference in the content of the teaching. The programs are not subject to modification, either as regards their structure or as regards their content. Initially, an attempt is made to identify the didactic units (exercises) that may enable the capacity for formulating and resolving technical problems directly linked to the content of the teaching to be highlighted. The choice of the technical problems is made taking account of the difficulties inherent in the material contained in the chapter under consideration. Depending on the tenor and specificity of the technical problems, the methods, or a combination of methods, to be applied in the relevant exercise are defined. The technical problems (particularly as part of polytechnical vocational training and during employment) must be related to the concern for improving processes, easing production tasks, improving productivity, 108 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

raising the product quality and using raw material, energy, equipment and the like in a rational and economic manner.

The resolving of technical problems within the framework of school work encourages an entirely new attitude towards the educational process and permits to lead students from the statement of the problem up to its solution.

As far as forms of technical creativity outside school (creativity circles, schools, creators' groups and so on) are concerned, schoolbook technical problems are only set at the beginning for as long as those concerned have not yet assimilated the technical creation methods. Subsequently, genuine tasks are proposed to students, linked to actual problems which effectively exist and for which no solutions have been found so far.

The solving of the problem demands complex working extending from prior analysis up to experimental verification and practical implementation of the solution, whereby the students successively undertake the following tasks: formulation and analysis of the social need and of the technical task deriving therefrom, application of heuristic methods to identify the solution, analysis and evaluation of the solution determined, defense of subjectively new solutions before the group and of objectively new solutions that are useful and applicable in practice before the enterprises' technical councils.

Experience shows that it is preferable to include in the groups of creators active students from second and third classes of the unified polytechnical secondary schools, 109 Nicolina Nenova

students and members of enterprise clubs for technical and scientific creativity of youth, and to have their work directed by staff of higher teaching establishment or by engineers and inventors from manufacturing enterprises. The creation of integrated units in which are associated a school, a higher teaching establishment and an economic organization permits the intensification of the creative activity of the students, enhancement of the social value of the results and creation of optimum conditions for inventive activity and rationalization.

Study of the bases of inventive activity and rationalization and of the methods of technical creativity, together with training of students in this type of activity, must be obligatorily linked to the overall activity of the school clubs for technical and scientific creativity of youth. In our view, the establishment in those clubs of a new "young inventor and rationalizer" section would open large possibilities. This proposition is currently being subjected to experimental verification in some schools of the Lyulin district of the Bulgarian capital Sofia .

The study concerns the methods affecting the development of the students' creative capabilities in the field of technology and their introduction to inventive activities and rationalization in conjunction with improved adaptation of technical creativity to the needs of society and with the solving of technical tasks that arise in the local undertakings. A new ''young inventor and rationalizer" section has been set up with the club for technical and scientific creativity of youth at the "96th Brejnev Unified Polytechnical Secondary School." 110 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

A planned overall program has been drawn up for the section; it includes the following elements: lectures on the bases of inventive activity and rationalization and the methods of technical creativity; visits to major local enterprises and meetings with inventors and rationalizers; solving of schoolbook technical problems in order to assimilate methods of technical creativity and solving actual tasks related to real problems encountered in local enterprises; competitions for the best solution to technical problems or the best rationalization proposal; theoretical lectures, etc. Two periods, corresponding to two hours of teaching, are scheduled each week (with a total of 60 hours). A prior study has been carried out during which, in order to achieve an object i ve selection of participants, use was made of a diagnostic test (to determine the technical capacities of the students) and also an enquiry by questionnaire (to evaluate their reasons).

Within the general context of this experimental activity, the psychological and pedagogic bases for training the students in inventive activity and rationalization and the application of methods of technical creativity to work in school and outside school were drawn up together with a set of methods, a structure for schoolbook technical problems and guidelines for applying the methods and training of the students in the field of inventive activity and rationalization. A teaching handbook on the bases of inventive activity and rationalization and the methods of technical creation is being printed; it is intended for the organizers of technical and scientific creation activities for the young outside school.

* * * Mr. Einar Nyren, Director, National Swedish Board for Technical Development (STU) Sweden

INVENTIVE ACTIVITY AT THE ENTERPRISE LEVEL

Introduction

The topic of inventive activity at the enterprise level comprises many aspects. This study will touch on some of those aspects in order to provide a general feeling of the field of activity concerned.

This study will discuss the creative individual's part in the enterprise, invention sources and the innovation process, environmental contributions, the business value of patents, inventive results and, finally, a short summary of conditions for innovation, together with a conclusion.

General

At the outset, it may be accepted that "inventiveness" 1s a form of creativity that is r elated to industrial p roducts and processes the results of which can be protected by a patent or inventor's certificate . In t his connecti on, it may also be accepted that "innovation" may be defined as the process of developing an idea into a new product or process adopted by society.

Mankind is basically equipped with creative qua lities that can be developed to each individua l's optimum capacity i f give n the chance in a favorable envi ronment. The most essential factor in generating the individual's cre ativity is that there be a good reason. I t may range from survival in an extreme 112 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

situation to solving technological problems in an employed capacity or just observing and thinking out new solutions to combinations of present technology.

Enterprises' Need of Creativity

In a small, medium-sized or large enterprise, creativity 1s needed in all activities and at all levels. If we limit ourselves to the development of existing or new products and processes, the basic conditions are the same but the resources are larger as the size of the enterprise grows. The most valuable resource of an enterprise is its employees and the most essential factor for their contribution to creativity is a good company policy with good daily working relations and among all levels. A system for stimulating, implementing, promoting and rewarding new ideas is a must. Such systems usually cover suggestions on how to improve products, processes and ways to rationalize and make savings 1n production. The same applies to environmental conditions. If a suggestion is regarded as an invention, the evaluation is usually turned over to another group and the remuneration is calculated according to other criteria.

Contributory factors leading to the creation of employee inventions are the "4 R's":==Reason fo r b r ing i ng an idea to light; Recognition as the source of an idea; Rights as an inventor; and Remuneration for the effort involved. 113 Einar Nyren

Employee Inventors

Inventors who are in the employment of enterprises are very technically concerned and motivated people looking fo r new solutions to problems connected with products and p r ocesses . This is indeed why they are with their enterprise. As l o ng as the concern and motivation is maintained, the inventor will remain in the enterprise's employ. The envi ronmental conditions, such as the enterprise's policy with regard to the 4 R's mentioned above, its field of activity, the learning and training possibilities it provides for the inventor, its connections within the industrial field and its diversification aims are also contributory factors. The outside enviro nment can also contribute to the inventor's interest, for example, if there is an inventors' organization or inventors' wo rksho ps in the area, from which the employee can obtain further knowledge and practical experience not available in the enterprise . Likewise, the existence of a governmental organization, such as an inventors' office, may be of value to the inventor in his work for the enterprise.

Rights in an Employee Invention

The rights i n an i nvention made by an employe e a r e in s ome countries stipulated by law and in some c ases also r e gulated by agreements between the employers' professional organizatio ns and the employees' trade unions. I t is to be note d t h at a special committee may exist t o h a ndl e c omplaints . In other countries, t here may e xi s t o nly t he p ractice of regu l atin g t he rights in an i nve n t i o n in t he e mp l oyme n t con tract , stating t h at 114 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

the rights in any invention made by the employee during the period of employment belong to the enterprise. In some other countries, where all industry is managed and controlled by the State, the situation can be regarded as in the foregoing case, namely, that industry is one great enterprise in which the rules and conditions are stipulated by the employer. In industrialized developing countries, there may be situations where no rules yet apply.

When looking at different aspects of inventive activity at the enterprise level, we may consider them from the enterprise point of view, but also from the employees' and society's point of view.

Invention Sources and the Innovation Process

Enterprises may have many sources for their inventions and innovations, for example:

- normal product development where the design has been found to be patentable;

- research and development projects that have produced patentable solutions;

- outside experts used in the search for solutions to new problems, on condition that any resultant inventions be the property of the enterprise;

- inventions resulting from employees' freely stimulated interest; 115 Einar Nyren

- inventions stemming from cooperation contracts with other enterprises, on condition that they have free use of each other's inventions;

- licensing agreements for new technology;

- governmental procurement plans and new regulations;

- an embryo invention visualized by an employee as he builds up his technical knowledge in the course of his work; if the employee leaves the enterprise to start a new one and succeeds with the innovation, it seems fair to give credit to the first enterprise as the original source of the invention;

- cooperation with universities and trade research facilities;

- approaches from outside freelance inventors.

From the invention idea stage to the completion of the innovation stage, there is a complex series of activities, beginning when an original idea is first conceived, proceeding through a succession of interwoven steps of research, development, management and decision-making, and culminating in a product or process .

In the process of research and development, the need for an effective information and documentation service and system must be emphasized. This facility in the organization should be suitably adjusted to the e nterprise's need for good resources, not only in t he traditional fields of doc umentation (books, periodicals, documents ) but also with specially trained 116 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

personnel qualified in new technology, including computerized systems, and having the right contacts with users and databanks. The information can involve the state of the art contained in patent documents, patent literature and in the field, which can give birth to new ideas and solutions.

The technological innovation process comprises many 1 activities as illustrated in Figures land 2.

Figure 1 The technological innovation process: a sequence of events through which new products, processes and services normally pass (Udell 1982)

OIONl !!Willl7 IINII

IOf~fiiiOCW ANO Ot VH orMt NT 5 TAG£5

..a: ~ ~ J 0 8 117 Einar Nyren

Figure 2 The technological innovation process: component activities, participants and needs (Grad 1981)

ORNL- OW(; 87 19008

I COMPOMNTI COMMf IICIAlll A TIOff IMAIIIKHI - ·------.. ------. tI · ------· ··· -- -.. . ----- ACTIVIT!( I IO(A IOfA lVALUATIOff ""00UCT '""OClSI I N(W V(NTUIII INI- VINTUAI OAOWTH; IUSINf:ll ANO OfNfiiiAT1011f AI'IO OEVUOPMENT EVAlUATIOff ANO TIATIOff; NfW !IPIN - ~r ~ ""00- TfCHNOlOOY AHINlMINT 1 l'ftOOUCT /l'ftOCUI UCTS ANO PIIIOCUII£1 MATUIIATION I INTAODUCTION . .. -- --f------+------PIIIMAIIY TfCHNOlOOICALINNOVATOfll . , . Tf~~-~~Al ~~;;;;,.~·N;~~, ------f ---MAN~~-~~~~-- PAATICIPANTI CASUAl \NO 1 (NTIII(PA(NfUIIIIAl MANAOEAS: PIIOf(SIIIONAL I MANAGEMENT TEAM ~N~I l - - ~ · · - ·--~------·------·--··· ------t------1 Oli

Environment

A society may enjoy a varying degree of industrial development. The government's awareness of the need for inventive activity in enterprises for the good of the country should result in measures to ensure a maximum output of new ideas and inventions. Of course, we must interpret "enterprise" to include research institutes, universities and other State facilities that are not directly business- oriented. From the government's point of view, inventive activity at enterprise level is a fundamental necessity for which all measures must be taken in orde r to achieve and maintain the highest level of efficiency and economic turns in industry . In cooperation with other industrial participan ts , such as trade 118 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

unions, branch organizations, communities, etc., a favorable environment to assist enterprises in promoting new ideas and inventions, to achieve market acceptance, must be built up.

The environmental conditions are very important for the enterprise. Some that may prevail in a relatively developed country are listed below.

Infrastructure

The industrial infrastructure may include a Ministry of Industry, Industrial Board, Board for Technical Development, patent office, regional development funds, liaison offices at universities, branch research institutes, patent attorneys, industrial investment banks, technical attaches abroad, export council with trade commission offices abroad, trade unions, inventors' associations.

Facilities

Associated with the infrastructure are facilities such as: economic support, advice, contact service, patentability surveys, business agreement consulting, expert help, financial help and advice for starting new enterprises, advice and contacts regarding export.

Other facilities are inventor workshops, inventor schools, inventor courses, product development centers, industrial development centers and branch research institutes, organized individually or jointly by private, community, state or trade union agencies. 119 Einar Nyren

Climate

The innovative atmosphere in society is essential. The government should continuously take measures to ensure the progress of innovation. Such measures cover favorable laws, policies on innovation, schooling and training, establishment of industrial development agencies, programs, studies, and financial and taxation advantages, among others.

Government agencies, institutions, organizations and enterprises should promote the innovative climate by sponsoring information through the media, exhibitions, competitions, seminars, conferences, etc.

The presence of venture capital companies, entrepreneurs and special risk venture schemes in commercial banks for enterprises also contributes to a favorable climate.

Business Value of Patents

A patent is a limited grant to an inventor by which he may exclude others from making, selling or using the invention. Governments issue patents to inventors to encourage open publication of inventions and to expedite their widespread use·. Although patents teach a technology and are therefore a type of technical publication, they are also intellectual property having a commercial value.

The majority of engineers probably work for profit-making businesses, and many of those engineers make inventions in the course of developing new products and processes. Business 120 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

enterprises generally rega~d all work produced for them by their engineers as the property of the business, and this definitely applies to inventions, whether or not they are patented.

In fact, recent court decisions have revealed a strengthening legal attitude toward the rights of a business to own and control information developed by its staff, even if the information is subsequently kept as a trade secret. Engineers typically enter into an assignment agreement with their enterprise, which sets out this relationship contractually. Businesses traditionally reward their fruitful inventors, however, with recognition, promotion, and salary increases; many U.S. enterprises also have a policy of special awards or remuneration for inventions, and in some countries such awards are a requirement. The fact is that most technology-intensive businesses strongly encourage their engineers to invent and to disclose their inventions.

The reasons why they do so are worth examining since they have profound implications for the engineering profession.

Businesses large and small assist their engineers in patenting inventions for the same reasons that independent inventors obtain patents, but they have other important reasons as well. The scale of risk and of returns involved can be and often is very large for an established business enterprise. The possibility of missing out on a technical breakthrough is always present; at the same time, the loss of substantial business-development investment without commensurate sales and profit improvement can be crippling. Today, bringing a high-technology product to profitable marketability involves 121 Einar Nyren

investment in research, development, product design, value engineering, trial marketing, tooling and inventory build-up. It may require the creation of a market through missionary sales and advertising, and even the setting up of a new process plant or sales structure. Without a patent, this investment 1s vulnerable to a competitor who merely copies the product without the front-end investment and who may have special advantages due to an existing plant, tooling or marketing situation. Some companies feel so strongly about patent protection for their new products that the potential patent portfolio and its likely strength are determining factors 1n making the decision whether to begin intensive product development.

Just as an independent inventor or a scientist-inventor can receive royalty income from a licensed invention, businesses also realize incremental income through licenses. Capital-intensive business areas, such as the heavy chemicals industry, commonly license patented processes because the company holding a key patent can only expand its product sales as rapidly as it can allocate capital investment. In the not uncommon case where export sales of a product are difficult, licensing abroad provides added income.

Patented inventions have other values to companies, which are not usually important to the inventor. Companies sometimes trade patent rights--that is, they may cross-license within the restrictions of the antitrust laws--but this is only possible when each has a portfolio of pat ent assets valuable to the other. Companies often must disclose vital details of products and processes to suppliers or customers, and to do so without 122 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

patent protection can prove disastrous. When building a market for a unique new product, a company may license external production to accelerate total market growth and thus reach a higher level of profitability more rapidly. Licensing to create a reliable second source is quite common, particularly in the electronic components industry, since many customer companies simply will not use a component available from only one source . In this area, the case of the small supplier enterprise with a new product approaching an industrial giant with the intention of being its own second source requires the firmest possible patent base. In such circumstances, the small enterprise needs all the bargaining power it can assemble if it is to negotiate a good bargain on its new part or 2 subassembly.

Inventive Results

The amount of inventive activity in an enterprise cannot be represented by the amount of patents applied for alone. In some cases, the registration system will cover the protection needs of drawings and designs or trademarks. In other cases, know-how and the secret box method may be adequate. Disclosure of the solution to the public may also be the best way to prevent competitors from patenting the solution and thereby make it impossible for the enterprise to undertake manufacture.

One way of measuring inventive activity can be by comparing size of enterprises with the number of innovations 1n several countries over a certain period. A study of 380 important innovations produced in five countries, introduced on the market between 1953 and 1973, looked at the relative 123 Einar Nyren

contributions made by enterprises of different sizes in regard to the total number of innovations. The results are presented 1n F1gure. 3 . 3

Figure 3 Share of 352 major innovations by firm size 1n five countries

Small Firms' Medium Firms' Large Firms 1 Total No. of No. of No of Ratio Country Ratio Ratio No. of Innovations Innovations Innovations Nl : Ns: Nl Nm : Nl Innovations (Ns) (Nm) (NI) (Ns + Nm)

United States of America 90(35%) 0.70 37(15%) 0.29 129 (50%) 1.02 248

United Kingdom 8(23%) 0.35 3( 8%) 0.13 23 (67%) 2.09 34

Germany (Fed. Rep. of) 5(26%) 0.42 2(10%j 0.17 12(64%) 1.71 19

Japan I (4%) 0.05 4(16%) 0.20 2(1(80%) 4.00 25

France 5 (31%) 0.71 4(26%) 0.57 7 (43%) 0.78 16

TOTAL 109(31%) 0.57 50(14%) 0.26 192 (54%) 1.20 352

1 Sales less than $ 5 million. ' Sales$ 5 million to $ 50 million. ' Sales greater than $ 50 million.

The table shows that:

(a) averaged over all countries, small enterprises contributed about one third of all innovations (31%), the majority share being taken by large enterprises (54%);

(b) medium-sized enterprises played only a minor role, except in , where they contributed 26% of innovations;

(c) the contribution of small enterprises was highest in the US (35%) and France (31%), followed by Wes t Germany (26%) and the UK (23%);

(d) small (and medium) enterprises in Japan played a very minor role as producers of majo r innovations. 124 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Large Enterprises--Small Enterprises

The role of Swedish enterprises in 100 important innovations between 1945 and 1980 has been investigated. Here we may note the following.

Jewkes (1969) maintains that, on the basis of 60 case studies of important inventions, the importance of an enterprise's R & D laboratories has been exaggerated and that the majority of essential innovations have come from outside large enterprises' R & D departments, while more than 50% were produced by private inventors and small enterprises.

Hamberg (1963) gives about the same result. During the period from 1945 to 1955, two thirds of new inventions came from private inventors or small enterprises.

Freeman (1977) has pointed out that research activity was very low before 1940 but has strongly increased since then. This changes Jewkes' conclusion.

The Swedish investigation does not agree with the foregoing statements. Instead, one third of new inventions came from small enterprises, universities and private inventors and two thirds from large enterprises. One explanation for this is that an idea fostered in a large enterprise by an employee who left and started a new enterprise and developed the idea into an invention was credited to the large . 4 en t erpr1se. 125 Einar Nyren

Conditions for Innovation

Summarizing the contents of what has been said above, we may note the following.

The conditions for innovation are, in short, generation and acquisition of new needs, development of receptivity in the individual, provisions for the innovator, adequate financial backing and machinery for preserving the confidentiality of the idea, and its access to the market place.

Conclusion

Inventive activity at the enterprise level is of the greatest importance for the economic and living standards in a country and for its enterprises and inventors. Creativity in this field should therefore be encouraged, stimulated and promoted by the government and by all concerned with industrial development.

Footnotes

1. Evaluation of the Energy-Related Inventions Program, document ORNL/CON-92/VI, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

2. The Business Value of Patents, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, vol. PC-22, no. 2, June 1979.

3. Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms:==Their Role and Problems in Innovation Government Policy in Europe, the USA, , Japan and Israel, Report prepared for the Six Countries Programme on Government Policies towards Technological Innovation in Industry, by R. Rothwell, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, and W. Zegveld, Staffgroup, Strategic Surveys TNO, Delft, Volume 1, June 1978. 126 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

4. 100 Important Inventions in Sweden 1945-1980, Information No. 350-1983, National Swedish Board For Technical Development .

* * Mr. Marino Porzio, Deputy Director General World Intellectual Property Organization Switzerland

WIPO ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROMOTION OF INVENTIVE ACTIVITY

Introduction

1. Inventiveness and creativity are features which have favored the differentiation of the species of man in the course of evolution from all other living species. The capacity to put these features to productive use continues to be of fundamental importance within the social and economic structures of human society. Indeed, the survival of any enterprise, organization, or even nation, may be said to depend essentially on its capacity to keep pace with development and progress.

2. The term "innovation" has come to be commonly used by politicians and economists in relation to problems of development, economic relations, social and technological progress. The term is often used to cover a confusingly large range of issues, which can lead to ambiguity. One generally accepted meaning of the term emphasizes the process whereby an idea is given practical application, rather than the generation of the orginal idea itself. Thus, in the commercial context, innovation covers the process of developing, refining, and commercializing new ideas to the stage where they constitute viable products or processes.

3. It follows that, at the origin of innovation, in the sense just described, there lies a new idea, discovery, or invention which has been formulated or made, either by chance or by deliberate design, by an individual or a group of individuals. 128 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

In the past the opinion prevailed that invention and innovation were spontaneous events initiated and created by an endowed individual who experienced a flash of inspiration. Today, it has become more and more apparent, however, that invention and innovation are phenomena which may, under the right conditions, be provoked or stimulated.

4. In this paper I shall discuss one of the major institutions which contributes to the stimulation of invention and innovation, namely, the industrial property system. Before so doing, I would like to outline some general considerations concerning the importance of invention and innovation to economic and technological progress, and some of the factors which have been found to be important in maintaining an environment conducive to successful innovation. I shall then describe some of the features of the organization and activities of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), whose charter includes a mandate to encourage creativity and inventiveness, with particular reference to some of the ways in which WIPO seeks to fulfil this mandate.

The Contribution of Invention and Innovation to Economic Progress

5. Economic progress requires a constant stream of new products, processes and ideas in order to facilitate improvements in efficiency, and thus to enable economic units, whether enterprises or nations, to be more competitive. New products and processes are equally important to the regeneration or replacement of declining industries, and thus to the full utilization of the productive sectors of an economy. 129 Marino Porzio

6. The most widely used measure of economic progress (whether for a country or for an individual enterprise) is productivity, i.e. output per unit of input. While productivity is dependent on a wide variety of economic and social factors, technological innovation is widely held to be the single most important contributor to improvements in productivity. Techno logical innovation can lead to more effective use of labor, capital and natural resources, thus enabling an enterprise to produce the same amount of output with less of one input and no more of any other. It should be emphasized that, in order to achieve greater productivity, what is important is not merely technology, but technology which will produce the desired increase in efficiency, and most importantly, the pract i cal implementation of that technology through technological change.

7. The principal significance of improved productivity is, o f course, that it facilitates economic growth. If less inputs are required to produce the same amount of output, the resources which are liberated by the use of a more effici ent process may be put to other p roductive uses, t hus a llowi ng overall expansion of o utput a nd e c onomic growt h to o c c u r .

8. Given the contribution of inno vation to impro ved productivity and economic g rowt h, i t is ha r dly sur p r ising that the promotion of inventive and innovative activi ty c o n s ti t utes an important part of the development process in most countries. It is a policy which i s relevant to al l coun tries, whether developed or developing, which have the amb i tio n t o benefit from technological a nd econ omi c p rog ress . 130 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

9 . Within the context of the general policy of promoting innovation, the creation of inventions and other technological innovations (including the adaptation of existing technology) by a country within its own territory through its own nationals assumes particular importance. Indigenous inventiveness is an indispensable element of economic self-reliance. A pool of talent to facilitate such indigenous inventiveness exists in every nation. What is needed is a means of harnessing this pool of talents which encourages the use of all inventive talent and all forms of new technological innovation without discrimination--in other words, regardless of whether the innovation in question is a simple gadget for daily use, a sophisticated invention using high technology, or a new technical solution capable of use by a particular enterprise, an entire industry, or across the industrial sector both nationally and internationally.

10. At present, in many countries, increasing attention is paid to the importance of technological innovation and the promotion of creativity and inventiveness not only in big enterprises, but also among small and medium-sized business and individual inventors. Experience has shown that some countries have taken their technological superiority for granted, with the consequence that governments we r e faced with a slow-down in the rate of productivity, difficulties in adapting to more highly priced energy and raw material resources, weaknesses in their international competitiveness, economic stagnation, and problems associated with high rates of inflation and unemployment. In contrast, in some other countries which have been successful in the past in effecting social and technological change, it has been recognized that the present economic environment, especially in relation to the increased 131 Marino Porzio

cost of natural resources and basic materials, is resulting in a need for new technological, managerial and social approaches, in order to seek to master the new economic circumstances and to facilitate the attainment of the social and economic goals relevant to their social and political systems.

11. The options for technological change and innovation are numerous and, as further advances are made in science, it is likely that the options will continue to expand and develop. Technological innovation is, for example, becoming far more multi-disciplinary. It has been recognized that cross-fertilization of ideas can be an important source of innovation. Technological developments in one field, such as electronics, communications and aerospace research, or in genetic engineering, may have far-reaching implications in many other fields of industry and agricultural production. At the same time, however, research costs are increasing with the greater sophistication of the scientific base of industry thereby placing new demands on human and nat ural resources .

12. These factors are, in turn, forcing governments to assume increased responsibility for det ermining how better to direct science, technology and innovation policy to ensure an optimal contribution to the solution of problems relating to such matters as trade deficits, inflation, incompatibilities between labor supply and demand, and the need to increase productivity. 132 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

The Patent System and Invention and Innovation

13. One of the important elements in the sound management of government science and technology policy directed at encouraging innovation is, undoubtedly, the patent system. I include within the term "patent system" not only patents, but all other similar titles, such as inventors' certificates, certificates of invention, and utility models, which are designed to protect inventions.

14. An efficient patent system contributes to the stimulation of innovation in three main ways. First, the existence of the patent system, with the possibility of obtaining the exclusive right to work an invention for a limited period, constitutes an important incentive to inventive and innovative activity. As I have mentioned, the costs of research and development today are often very substantial, requiring considerable human and material resources. If the inventions which are the fruit of research and development were not protected by the grant of patent, they would be available for exploitation by all, including those who have undertaken little or no expenditure on research and development. The inventive organization would, under these circumstances, be placed at a substantial competitive disadvantage, since the cost of its products would contain an element reflecting the cost of research and development, which would not be present in the products of those who have appropriated the invention. By allowing the inventor the exclusive use of an invention for a limited period of time, the patent system enables the inventor to exact a premium for, and thus recover, initial research and development costs, and thus acts as a stimulus to the undertaking of further research and development. 133 Marino Porzio

15. The limited period of time during which the holder of a patent is entitled to the exclusive use of his invention serves another important function in addition to enabling initial research and development costs to be recovered. The invention which is the object of a patent grant may very often represent the first formulation of an idea which, while, by necessity, capable of practical application, will require further development work before a final, commercially polished, product or process is able to be marketed. Such further development work may include experiments, the construction of prototypes, the refinement of various features, the elimination of unforeseen "bugs'' in the system, and market testing. The second major contribution of the patent system to the stimulation of inventive and innovative activity is situated at this point. The limited period of exclusive use creates an environment which facilitates the efficient development and utilization of inventions. It protects the inventor for a limited time against uncontrolled competition from those who have not taken the initial financial risk. It thus creates conditions in which risk capital can be safely advanced for the transformation of an invention into an innovation.

16. The right of the inventor to the exclusive use of his invention for a limited period is not, of course, granted freely. In return for the grant of a patent, the inventor must disclose the details of his invention in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to work it. The patent system has, in this way, been responsible for the collection, classification, and d issemina tion of the richest store of technological information existing in the world today. The information contained in a patent is available for research and experimental purposes (although not, of course for commercial use) by all during the term of the patent grant. After the 134 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

expiration of the patent term, the information falls into the public domain and is freely available for full commercial use by all. Thus, the patent system is responsible for the collection of, and for making accessible, a vast reservoir of technological informaton indispensable to further research and development, and the avoidance of duplication in research. It thereby contributes· to linear progress in the evolution of technological base of industry.

17. It should be mentioned that, while the patent system is a vital element in the stimulation of invention and innovation, many other factors in practice combine to contribute to successful innovation. As mentioned, in the period between invention and the successful implementation and marketing of the innovation based on that invention, a considerable amount of development work is necessary. During this innovation period, external factors such as economic, technical or regulatory matters, which are beyond the control of the innovator, may affect the success or failure of the innovation.

18. Studies of those factors affecting technological innovation which are susceptible to management and control have shown that the great majority of successful innovation is demand-led. In other words, successful innovation generally results from the identification of a market need. Industry-based studies of technological innovation have identified the following factors as favoring successful innovation:

( i ) a receptive management; ( i i ) an appreciation of user needs; (iii) an effective marketing and sales organization; 135 Marino Porzio

(iv) an efficient product development system; (v) effective communication; and (vi) the personal characteristics of the manager having immediate responsibility for the innovation.

19. The most common reasons for failures in innovation have been identified as:

(i) marketing failures, i.e. inadequate market information and difficulties in identifying and developing new markets; (ii) poor management or overmanagement; (iii) lack of capital; and (iv) inappropriate or inadequate statutory and governmental regulations.

20. It may be noted from these studies that technological factors were not considered as all-important. This contrasts sharply with the widely held view that innovation is a direct result of research and development (R & D). In support of this latter view figures are often produced to show a coincidence between a decline in expenditure on R & D (either for the country as a whole, or for particular industries) and a decline in productivity growth. However, studies also indicate that this coincidence of trends should not be over-emphasized. What has been shown to be important is not the indiscriminate undertaking of research and development for its own sak e . Rather, if it is to be successful, R & D mu st be responsive to market demand and properly managed. In other words, R & D is only one input into the innovation process, and other, often more important factors, are involved. 136 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

21. U.S. studies have shown that original research results initiated innovation in only about 5 per cent of cases, and that R & D for technical problem-solving played only a minor role in the development of innovation. Indeed it has been estimated that 80 per cent of the information used in problem-solving during innovation is already in the public domain. A successful innovator would therefore seem to be someone having a breadth of skill and knowledge, often taking ideas from one area and applying them in new ones. In this respect, the efficient use of the information stored in patent documentation can be an extremely valuable tool for the innovator.

WIPO and the Promotion of Inventive and Innovative Activity

22. The origins of WIPO are to be found in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, which was adopted in 1883, and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which was adopted in 1886. Both of these Conventions provided for the establishment of an "International Bureau" or Secretariat, which were the forerunners of the Secretariat of the present organization.

23. Both the Paris Convention and Berne Convention emphasized the protection of the fruits of inventive and creative activity, namely, patents, copyright, and other intellectual property rights. As I have mentioned, such protection itself can play an important role in promoting inventive activity. This role which the protection of intellectual property plays was recognized in the Convention establishing WIPO, which was signed at Stockholm in 1967. The preamble to this Convention 137 Marino Porzio

makes reference to the Contracting Parties' desire to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world "in order to encourage creative activity."

24. Similar explicit emphasis on the role of WIPO in encouraging inventive and innovative activity is to be found 1n the Agreement between the United Nations and WIPO which was signed in 1974, and pursuant to which WIPO became a Specialized Agency of the United Nations. In Article I of this Agreement, WIPO is recognized by the United Nations as being responsible "for promoting creative intellectual activity and for facilitating the transfer of technology related to industrial property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social and culture development." It may be said that the order in which these responsibilities are given--namely, promoting creative intellectual activity and facilitating the transfer of technology--is not fortuitous. In the development of economic self-reliance, clearly the acquisition of technological and industrial capacities through indigenous creativity and inventiveness is preferable to the acquisition of such capabilities through the transfer of technology. In making this point, however, I would not wish to underestimate the benefits which can be derived through the transfer of technology, which include the provision of a techno logical base for indigenous invention. Nor would I wish to underestimate the difficulties in achieving self-reliance through indigenous creativity and inventiveness. The technological gap which exists in the world between highly industr i alized and developing countries is a reality in relation to which progress can be achieved only through carefully planned and implemented measures, which necessarily involve a long gestation. 138 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Development Cooperation

25. In accordance with the recognition of the importance of promoting creativity and inventiveness contained in the Constitution of WIPO and in the Agreement between WIPO and the United Nations, considerable emphasis has been given to the promotion of invention and innovation in WIPO's development cooperation activities--that is, the activities pursuant to which it provides technical cooperation to developing countries. Article I of the Organizational Rules of the WIPO Permanent Program for Development Cooperation Related to Industrial Property states that the Program will promote "innovative and inventive activity in developing countries with a view to strengthening their technological capacities." In describing the ways in which WIPO has sought to promote such innovative and inventive activity, I shall refer first to measures which are being taken generally in relation to industrial property in developing countries, and explain the relation of these activities to the promotion of invention and innovation. I shall then describe some of the specific measures of development cooperation directed specially at invention and innovation.

General Measures of Relevance to Invention and Innovation

26 . The first general measure of development cooperation undertaken by WIPO which i s of relevance to the promotion of invention and innovation is instituti on-building. WIPO has undertaken an ext ensive p r ogram of technical assistance to strengthen and modernize nat ional industr ial property i n frastructur es. The prog r am has been partly f i nanced out of 139 Marino Porzio

the WIPO Permanent Program for Development Cooperation Related to Industrial Property, and partly through regional and national projects funded by the United Nations Devlopment Programme (UNDP) of which WIPO is the executing agency.

27. The provision of an efficient administrative and legislative infrastructure for industrial property is of fundamental importance to invention and innovation. Industrial property laws, and their administration, must be such as to create an environment conducive to investment in research and development, particularly in view of the enormous costs which are often involved in research and development. If an efficient system of protection for the fruits of invention and innovation does not exist, local inventors may find themselves subject to predatory practices on the part of others.

28. In providing technical cooperation for the strengthening of infrastructures, WIPO has also paid close attention to the need for a comprehensive infrastructure. The first advantage of a comprehensive infrastructure is that it can respond to different levels of technology. While many inventions are undoubtedly based on expensive high technology, this is not always the case. Inventive and entrepreneurial activity on the part of small-scale enterprises and individual inventors still have a place in the evolution of the technological base of a society. For this reason, many countries have chosen to adopt a system of protection for utility models, in addition to protection for patents. The great advantage of such a system is that it facilitates the protection of inventions which, while not reaching the level of conceptual ingenuity required by the patent system, nevertheless have a valuable commercial and economic application. 140 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

29. Similar in conception to utility models, are methods used within enterprises to encourage employees to find inventive solutions to technical problems which may have arisen in the production process. In market economy countries, some enterprises conduct "a suggestion scheme," which is regulated by internal rules within the enterprise. The object of such a scheme is to provide a reward to employees who contribute ideas aimed at improving the efficiency of the employer's business. A similar system exists in some socialist countries in the form of "rationalization proposals," pursuant to which rationalization certificates carrying a number of material and non-material rights and privileges, are granted to those employees who produce technical solutions which improve aspects of the production process, or resolve difficulties which have arisen in the production process. These latter rationalization proposals are regulated by law, rather than by the internal rules of an enterprise.

30. A comprehensive industrial property infrastructure may also include legal and institutional arrangements directed specifically at the encouragement of invent ive and innovative activity. In this respect , many countries have established government-sponsored research centers, f i scal and other legal incentives to investment in research and development , and invention development institutes, which ser ve as focal points for encouraging indigenous invention, conducting training courses for inventors, and giving technical assistance to inventors in the development of their inventions to the stage of innovation.

31. The development of general awareness of the industrial property system has also f eatured prominently in WIPO's development cooperation activities. The aim of this aspect of 141 Marino Porzio

development cooperation is to ensure that the benefits of an efficient industrial property infrastructure are known to and understood by user groups of the industrial property system, which, of course, include inventors. For this purpose, training programs are conducted, both nationally and regionally, which address not only the effective use of the industrial property system in economic development and commerce, but also instruction on the effective use of support services indispensable to inventors, such as the drafting of patent applications.

32. In 1984, WIPO published a Guide on the Industrial Property Activities of Enterprises in Developing Countries in order to assist enterprises in taking full advantage of the industrial property system, particularly in relation to their inventions and trademarks, by providing a basis for the effective evaluation and organization of their industrial property activities. WIPO has also published a Model Law for Developing Countries on Inventions, which includes provisions dealing with the question of employees' inventions.

33. I have mentioned previously the recognition of WIPO's responsibility for encouraging the transfer of technology to developing countries in relation to industrial property. In this respect, WIPO has conducted workshops and conferences on licensing and other industrial property transfer arrangements and has published the WIPO Licensing Guide for Developing Countries. The aim here has been to develop a corps of specialists who are skilled in the negotiatio n and conclusion of industrial property transfer arrangements, and who should play a vital role in the acquisition of foreign technology by developing countries. Acquisition of s uch technology can l ead to improved productivity and enhanced technical skills in the 142 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

work force, and also enlarges the technological base of a country, thus increasing the possibility of cross-fertilization of ideas between different technologies, and the stimulation of inventive and innovative activity.

34. The role of the patent system in assisting invention and innovation through the provision of a large store of classified technological information contained in patent documentation has been further strengthened in a number of ways by WIPO. Part of the program for modernizing and strengthening industrial property infrastructures has included advice and assistance in relation to the maintenance of an adequate collection of patent documentation. In addition, since 1975, WIPO has been operating a free-of-charge patent information service, including the provision of confidential state-of-the-art reports. The State-of-the-Art Search Program is provided under agreements concluded between contributing industrial property offices in industrialized countries and WIPO. Under the program, reports are supplied to organizations in developing countries in response to requests concerning particular technical matters. Reports identify the "state-of-the-art" in relation to the particular technical matter identified in the search request as reflected in patent documents and relevant non-patent literature. The search is performed by highly skilled specialists of industrial property offices in their collections of patents and published patent applications, as well as relevant non-patent literature. These reports can be of invaluable assistance in avoiding duplication in research, locating the proprietors of particular pieces of technology, and in providing a relevant technological basis for organizations wishing to deal with particular technical problems. 143 Marino Porzio

Specific Measures Related to Inventive and Innovative Activity

35. A number of activities have been undertaken by WIPO specifically in relation to inventive and innovative activity. The WIPO Working Group on Technological Innovation has met three times (in 1978, 1979, and 1980) to exchange views and to make recommendations concerning WIPO's activities in the field of innovation.

36. Conferences and training courses on invention and innovation have also begun to feature more prominently in WIPO's training programs. In 1983 a Round Table on the Promotion of Indigenous Inventive and Innovative Activity in Asia and the Pacific was organized by WIPO in Manila with the cooperation of the Philippine Invention Development Institute. The Round Table was attended by senior government officials of nine countries of Asia and the Pacific. In November and December of this year, WIPO is organizing a Regional Workshop on Invention Development and Innovation in Manila, for which invitations have been extended to fifteen developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. The Workshop will comprise two parts--the first will be directed at the governmental managers of technological innovation and will seek to examine legal and institutional arrangements for the promotion of indigenous inventive and innovative activity; the second part will consist of a workshop for inventors which will be directed at the development of techniques for improving the technical skills of inventors in the innovation process.

37. In May, 1984, WIPO organized together with the International Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA), an International Conference on the Situation of Inventors. The Conference, which was held at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, was 144 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

attended by nearly eighty participants from thirty six countries. Papers presented at the Conference covered such matters as the status as inventors, the need for support and assistance to independent inventors, the protection of the employee inventor, the organization of risk or venture capital enterprises, invention promotion at a government and enterprise level, and the rights of inventors in different countries.

38. In this context of emphasis on inventiveness and innovation, WIPO particularly welcomed the proposal of the Government of Bulgaria to a hold World Exhibition of Achievements of Young Inventors and to act as co-organizer of that exhibition. The Exhibition provides a unique opportunity for young inventors to exhibit their creations and to establish business contacts for the commercialization of their inventions, and for enterprises to receive first-hand information on new inventions and innovations. Equally, WIPO is pleased to be associated as co-organizer of this International Seminar on Inventiveness for Development Purposes, which should contribute substantially to the development of awareness of the innovation process, its significance for development, and of means of dealing with particular problems which arise in the invention and innovation process.

39. WIPO has also been active in encouraging the development of support systems for inventors. In this respect, assistance has been given to countries wishing to establish Associations of Inventors, and in 1980, WIPO published a Directory of Associations of Inventors, with a view to encouraging cooperation amongst such Associations internationally. One such example of cooperation in respect o f which WIPO provided assistance was the experiment under which the Philippines 145 Marino Porzio

cooperated with Sri Lanka from 1979 in the establishment of a new national system in Sri Lanka for the promotion of inventive activity and assistance to inventors.

40. I have spoken a considerable amount in this paper concerning the material awards for inventors and the role that the industrial property system plays in this respect. Non-material rewards also constitute an important influence in encouraging inventive and innovative activity. In this respect, WIPO has since 1979 awarded Medals for Inventors, which are presented at exhibitions or contests organized by national or international institutions. The criteria for accepting recipients are established by the requesting institutions. The award of these medals constitutes an important part of the recognition of the contribution which inventive and innovative activity makes to economic and technological progress.

41. Finally, it should be mentioned that WIPO has initiated two special studies: one aimed at drawing up a manual or set of outlines to give practical assistance to research and development institutions in developing countries in respect of the problems they face in their patent management and licensing operations; and the other involving the study and, ultimately, implementation of machinery for the promotion of innovation in developing countries. 146 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

42. At the outset of this paper, I indicated some of the reasons why invention and innovation are of vital significance to economic and technological progress. I would like to conclude by inviting your reflection and comments throughout this Seminar on ways and means at national, regional, and international levels by which invention and innovation can be more effectively used to promote the development process.

* * * Mr. Vadim Y. Savinov, Head of Department, Central Council of the All-Union Society of Inventors and Rationalizers (VOIR), Soviet Union

THE PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SOVIET UNION AND THEIR ENDEAVORS TO ESTABLISH OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR THE CREATIVE ACTIVITIES OF INVENTORS

An integral part of the political system in socialist society and one of the most important channels permitting the citizens to participate in public affairs is constituted by the public organizations. These are very varied: trade unions, youth organizations, technical and scientific associations. The aim of these public organizations is to contribute to the socialist construction of the Soviet Union and the development of science, technology and culture. Their tasks also cover ideological education and the improvement of the level of qualification of their members, the widening and deepening of their specialized knowledge and providing information on the achievements of various sectors of the national economy, of science and of technology, particularly as regards inventions.

Within the limited time available to me, I would like to look more particularly at the work accomplished in the development of technical creativity by three public organizations in our country: the All-Union Society of Inventors and Rationalizers (VOIR), the Scientific and Technical Societies (NTO) and the society "Znanie" ("Knowledge") and their collaboration in those matters with State agencies.

The major public organization working towards optimum conditions for the creative activies of inventors in the Soviet Union is the All-Union Society of Inventors and Rationalizers, founded in 1958. It currently has more than 13 million members. Its main tasks are to encourage workers to 148 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

participate directly in inventive and rationalization activities, to ensure that inventions and rationalization proposals are examined, developed and utilized rapidly in production, to provide legal and technical assistance to inventors and rationalizers and to improve the level of their technical knowledge. VOIR has set up throughout the country tens of thousands of consultancies, and public design and patent offices. VOIR publishes its own official organ--the "Inventor and Rationalizer."

VOIR promotes the creative activity of inventors in a variety of ways.

For instance, to assist inventors in preparing the technical documentation they are required to submit for the examination of the invention and its acceptance for practical application, VOIR assumes the costs of the organizations and specialists whose services are used to draw up the descriptions and establish the costs of implementation, to carry out the sketches, the technical projects, the drawings and schematics, and to carry out the examinations and draw up the technical conclusions as to the usefulness and novelty of inventions submitted by members of VOIR.

The technical and legal consultations a r e provided at the workplace at the request of i ndividual invento r s and in the permanent consultancies.

In order to widen and deepen the specialist knowledge of inventors and also to study advanced methods and techniques, various activities are undertaken such as industrial study tours and "creation missions." These study tours are laid on to the best enterprises in the country and to e xhibitions. 149 Vadim Y. Savinov

The promotion of the creative activity of inventors also takes the shape of competitions and reviews to identify the best invention or the best organization of inventive work. These competitions are generally organized together with other public organizations, such as the trade unions or young communists leagues. VOIR assumes all the expenses involved in publishing and distributing the competition regulations, advertising in the press and on radio, examination of the competition submissions, and the like.

In order to promote inventiveness and the achievements of inventors, exhibitions are organized, technical workshops set up and guidance given to public design offices. In particular, VOIR develops the subject of the exhibition, chooses the items to be displayed, prepares the sketches, builds the stands, produces the models, mock-ups, photo-panels, etc.

A prime task of VOIR is to protect the rights of inventors and rationalizers.

A basic element of VOIR's task to protect inventors and rationalizers is its right to exercise public supervision of compliance with the legislation in force on inventions and rationalizations. In practice, the organizations of VOIR (whatever their level) monitor the activities of the administration as regards the time required for examining proposals, the calculation of the economic effect, the implementation of proposals and the payment of remuneration to inventors in compliance with the law, and ensure other inventors' rights. The Central Council of VOIR and its regional councils are entitled to carry out supervision 1n all these respects. Where necessary, they monitor the activities 150 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

of the management of enterprises, of production associations, of ministries and departments in respect of invention and rationalization acitivities and request those with economic responsibility (from the director of an enterprise up to the minister) to report to the Praesidium of the Central Council of VOIR.

Where necessary, if the quality of the work is not deemed adequate, the Central Council of VOIR is entitled to submit proposals to the supreme organs of the State.

VOIR trains its active members in legal matters and in procedural matters relating to inventions and patents. Where necessary, it funds the hire of rooms required for the classes, the printing of programs and curricula and the procurement of textbooks and teaching materials.

VOIR organizes specific lectures, talks and seminars and holds national level conferences on matters of creative activity in the field of science and technology, in collaboration with other public organizations, particlarly the Scientific and Technical Societies (NTO) and the society "Znanie."

The NTO are formed in the Soviet Union in relation to each sector of production and operate, just as VOIR, under the direction of the trade unions. They participate actvely in the establishment of new technologies, in measures to increase production, to mechanize and automate production processes and to improve the quality of products, and also channel the activities of the scientific and technical community towards a search for solutions to the problems of environmental 151 Vadim Y. Savinov

protection. The Scientific and Technical Societies of the various sectors together form the All-Union Council of Scientific and Technical Societies (VSNTO), founded in 1959, that is a member of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. They have their own central organ, the review "Technology and Science,'' and publish over 20 periodicals dealing with the various sectors.

The All-Union Society "Znanie" was founded in 1947 at the initiative of Soviet scientists and public figures, with the aim of disseminating political, scientific and technical knowledge and thus to contribute to the communi st education of the working people.

For all fields of knowledge, the Society organizes public lectures, information sessions and meetings a t which scientists report on their creative work, and participates in the dissemination of knowledge by radio and television and in the making and presentation of scientific films and po pular sci ence films. All these var i ous forms of information activities 1n respect of inventions are carried out by "Znanie'' in collaboration with VOIR and VSNTO.

Two nation- wide practical science conferences illustrate the fruitful cooperation that exists between VOIR and VSNTO and also their close relationships with State organizations. The first conference, devoted to the topics of the development and improved effectiveness of scientific and techni cal creation of workers, was held in Novosibirsk from October 2 to 4, 1979, and the second, concerni ng the scient i fic and technical c r eat i v i ty of workers, took place i n Tas hkent from October 25 t o 27, 1983. 152 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Particular attention was paid at these conferences to matters relating to the creation of optimum conditions for inventors' creative activity. Representatives of socialist countries and of a number of capitalist States participated in the work of those conferences.

A further example of the cooperation between the public organizations and the Government agencies in the promotion of scientific and technical achievements capable of contributing to the development of inventive activity is also given by a set of recommendations and instructions on forms of collaborative work which they have drawn up. For instance, in 1978 the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology published, together with VOIR, VSNTO and "Znanie," a document entitled "Rules of Cooperation Between the Scientific and Technical Information Agencies and the NTO, VOIR and "Znanie" Organizations for the Planning, Preparation, Promotion and Implementation of Scientific and Technical Information."

Thus, all the types and aspects of activities undertaken by public organizations in the Soviet Union in order to create opti mum conditions for the creative activities of inventors and the close collaboration that exists between the societies and State agencies and services give a considerable stimulus to the progress of science and technology.

The effectiveness of these activities may be illustrated by the example of some figures. In the years 1983 and 1984, more than 152,000 inventions and ove r 9 million r ationalization proposals were made throughout the country. The savings achieved by the use of these innovations within the national economy exceeded the 7,000 million mark to reach a total of 7,460 million rubles . 153 Vadim Y. Savinov

In recent years, new forms of cooperation between the public organizations and inventors have been sought and established in view of the tasks deriving from the acceleration of scientific and technical progress and the intensification of production. This is bound up with the emergence of new methods for seeking new technical solutions and with the use in the national economy of functional cost analysis (FCA).

As currently applied, this analysis can be defined, in its most general form, as an overall method of socialist rationalization aiming to increase social production 1n terms of its intensification. One of the main principles of FCA is that it is based on collective creativeness from which should emerge new ways of carrying out the functions covered by the analysis. FCA presupposes the active utilization in the creative phase of all available advanced methods of seeking for new technical ideas.

The FCA research groups set up to carry out the analysis and identify the most economic solutions comprise not only designers, technologists, economists and administrators, but also experienced rationalizers and inventors. Only by combining all these specialists, led by an engineer who has received instruction in FCA and in the methods for seeking new technical solutions, can optimum results be ensured by the use of FCA.

An effective application of FCA is not conceivable without the active participation of rationalizers and inventors. Likewise, FCA is necessary to the innovators themselves since, under today's circumstances, it permits all the possibilities of creation to be opened up more fully and for them to be 154 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

included in the proper structure of work organization, enabling them to realize their creative capabilities with maximum benefit both for society and for themselves.

The possibilities offered by the public organizations for the application of FCA and of the advanced methods of seeking new technical solutions have begun to enjoy wide application in recent years. For instance, the VOIR organizations are making great efforts to train a wide circle of innovators, primarily young innovators, in the principles of FCA and the methods for seeking new technical solutions, together with the NTO and "Znanie," with which they are acting to dispense a broad range of knowledge in these fields to inventors and rationalizers. For instance, a Public Institute of Technical Creativity has already been operating with success for some years in Moscow. The VOIR public patent institutes were pioneers in the dissemination of knowledge on patents in engineering and technical circles and in industrial innovation circles. Today they have become the promoters of new knowledge on the basis of FCA and the methods for seeking new technical solutions.

The Central Committee of the Young Commun i sts League is organizing, together with VOIR and the USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries, a competition fo r the drafting of textbooks for training the young i n technical c r eation.

An "inventors' school" has been set up i n the columns of the review "Inventor and Rational i zer."

The present time demands that these activities be strengthened and that the focal centre o f the activities of the public organizations be rapidly relocat ed on the training of 155 Vadim Y. Savinov

innovators in the new techniques for seeking scientific and technical ideas and in advanced methods of implementing these ideas in production. This work has already been initiated and the fact that it is being conducted with success is a guarantee for the optimization of inventors' creative activities as part of the acceleration of scientific and technical progress.

* * *

Mr. Rudolphe P. Tchistjakov Chief Examiner, USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries, Soviet Union

MAIN FEATURES OF THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF INVENTIVE ACTIVITY IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES

The fact that science and technology are currently undergoing dynamic development and that scientific and technical achievements, discoveries and inventions occur with increasing frequency and on an ever-widening scale implies considerable strengthening of the effectiveness of national production.

In socialist countries, inventive activity plays an increasing role in the acceleration of scientific and technical progress.

The communist and workers' parties and the governments in the socialist countries have dealt with matters related to the future development of inventive activity in a series of regulations. ThBse texts highlight two aspects considered to be principal catalysts in technical progress: on the one hand, the need to develop by all possible means the initiative of workers in the creation and use of inventions and rationalization proposals, and, on the other hand, the material and moral promotion of inventive activity and mass rationalization.

This document gives a broad outline of the main characteristics of the system used in the social i s t countries to promote inventive activity. 158 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

It is based on a study of legislation and practice in the USSR and other socialist countries, but it does not go into the characteristics and specificity of the system of promotion in a particular country, although this can easily be done if interest is shown.

Without scientific and technical progress and without rapid application of its benefits in production, there can be no concrete improvement in the economy, either in quality or efficiency.

The elimination of man's exploitation by man alone can create the social conditions necessary for creative development of the personality. The victory of socialist achievements in production has created the conditions for development of scientific and technical creativity by millions of workers, farmers, employees, engineers and technicians. Socialist society is the first in history to have offered concrete possibilities for workers' creative activity and to have provided the social, economic, political and ideological conditions necessary for comprehensive and harmonious development of the personality.

After the victory of the 1917 revolution in our country, the young socialist State had to transform a devastated and exhausted country into an industrial power capable not only of consolidating the achievements of the October Revolution, but also of repulsing attacks by an enemy who threatened the conquest of the workers and peasants. It was necessary to establish the conditions for development of inventive activity and to make it progress from the stage of action by isolated individuals to that of a mass movement at the service of 159 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

technical rearmament. It was also necessary to place the development of inventive activity within a legal framework that would ensure as rapidly as possible the use of all inventions beneficial to the national economy, as well as the encouragement of the inventors themselves.

These fundamental concepts are embodied in Lenin's decree on inventions promulgated on June 30, 1919. The principles laid down by Lenin for the organization and promotion of inventive activity were further developed in subsequent legislation both in the USSR and in other socialist countries, and at present inventive activity in these countries is governed by a highly developed legal system.

The Communist Party and the Soviet State lay strong emphasis on the development and promotion of inventive activity, as well as on the creation of the necessary conditions. This can be seen very clearly in the provisions of Article 47 of the USSR Constitution, which lays down the fundamental principles for the organization and development of inventive activity in a developed socialist society. The constitutions of a number of other socialist countries also establish the bases for development of inventive activity and the protection of the rights of inventors and authors of rationalization proposals.

During the last 15 years, socialist countries have doubled the volume of their industrial production while capitalist countries have only increased theirs by slightly more than a third. The facts show the concrete social advantages of socialism (Pravda, June 18, 1984). Part of the success of the socialist countries is due to the work of inventors. 160 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

The objective of legislation on inventive activity is to encourage materially and morally the inventive creation of the masses. However, the encouragement of inventive activity in the USSR cannot be studied without mentioning at least the broad lines of the organization of its development.

In socialist countries, the organization of development of inventive activity and rationalization is closely linked to social production and it constitutes one of the fundamental elements in managing the national economy. This is why the structure of the official bodies responsible for developing inventive activity and rationalization is based on the general principles of State administration and corresponds to the organic structure set up to manage the national economy. All State bodies responsible for an economic activity therefore also administer inventive activities and rationalization, thus combining economic management functions with technical management functions.

Official bodies responsible for developing inventive activity and rationalization have one structure for each branch of activity and the office of inventions fulfills the role of a central administration. This structure covers all aspects from the creation of inventions and rationalization proposals up to their use in the national economy, and includes the use of inventions abroad.

The administration and organization of inventive activity are carried out by ministries, departments, State committees, associations, enterprises, organizations and institutions. 161 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

The tasks, functions, rights and duties of these bodies and organizations are laid down in the laws establishing them, as well as in the decisions of Party and State bodies.

All efforts to develop inventive activity and mass rationalization are carried out with the full participation of associations of inventors and rationalizers, trade unions and other social organizations.

Use of planning principles constitutes one of the basic conditions for development of inventive activity and rationalization.

The planning of inventive activity and rationalization is of great importance because it permits orientation of the creative activity of engineers, technicians and workers, towards solving the current problems in particular enterprises, sectors of the economy or the national economy as a whole, and towards widespread and appropriate use of interesting inventions and rationalization proposals in production, as well as towards the development of the concrete creative activity of workers in the technical field.

Similar tasks are defined in the legislation of other socialist countries.

In the USSR, planning of inventive activity and rationalization includes the following tasks: thematic planning, organization and execution of mass operations, elaboration and use of inventions and rationalization proposals, planning of the economic benefits resulting from use of inventions and rationalization proposals, as well as financing of inventive activity and r ationalization. 162 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Legislation provides an improved system of material and moral encouragement for inventors and rationalizers (each year, hundreds of millions of roubles are spent on this in the USSR), but also for people who contribute to inventive activity and rationalization and the granting of patents.

An inventor has the right to remuneration. This right is one of the fundamental provisions of the socialist system administering inventive activity. Remuneration takes a number of different forms.

In Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic, Mongolia and the USSR, the legislation allows for the possibility of paying an incentive bonus to inventors.

For example, in the USSR such a bonus is paid for an invention made within the framework of an employment contract (whether it concerns scientific research, the development or application of a new technique, etc.), as well as for an invention made in a non-profit-making social organization (design office, laboratory, voluntary team, etc.).

Incentive bonuses are paid directly by the ministries or departments according to the guidelines established by them.

In the case of inventions made in organizations working on a voluntary basis, incentive bonuses are paid by the USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries.

In addition to the incentive bonus, the author of an invention receives remuneration for use of his invention within the country, for the sale abroad of a license related to the 163 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

invention, for providing documentation concerning the invention to other countries, or for the use of his invention in an undertaking carried out by a USSR organization overseas.

In the USSR, advanced inventions that are not used immediately may give rise to payment of a grant by those ministries and departments which consider that their use could be worthwhile subsequently.

The amount of the remuneration is fixed according to the amount of the savings obtained by using the invention and, for inventions that do not lead to savings or where their amount cannot be estimated, it is calculated according to the effective value, taking into account the importance of the use, the complexity of the proposed technical solution and its main features.

For inventions that lead to savings, remuneration is equivalent to 2% of the amount of the savings obtained 1n each calendar year by using the invention in the USSR and it is paid to the inventor for five years dating from the first use of the invention. However, the total remuneration paid for using an invention is limited to 20.000 roubles.

Other countries, for example, Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, have established a scale fixing remuneration for the first year as a percentage of the economic effects. If use of the invention increases during the following four years, the inventor will receive increased remuneration. 164 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

In , the characteristic of the system of remuneration paid to an inventor is that its amount is fixed for the period of the invention's effective use in an agreement between the user organization and the inventor. In Romania, remuneration can be equivalent annually to a maximum of three months' salary for a researcher in the corresponding industrial field and it can be paid for five years.

In many countries, legislation also provides for payment of remuneration to an inventor when a licence is sold overseas.

In addition to remuneration, which constitutes the major material incentive to creative activity by inventors, other methods are also used.

In order to accelerate use of inventions and rationalization proposals in industry, inventors and rationalizers may benefit from a certain number of rights and privileges when they participate in developing their proposals.

In the USSR, when an inventor participates in developing his proposal in the place where it is to be used, if necessary, he can be relieved of the need to carry out his normal functions while at the same time receiving a salary corresponding to at least the average remuneration for his usual work. If the inventor cannot be relieved of his usual job, he can carry out the necessary work outside working hours and can receive the remuneration provided for.

An employment contract can be drawn up with an inventor or author of a rationalization proposal to enable him to 165 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

participate in its development for the necessary period away from his usual place of work. He then receives remuneration at least equivalent to the average salary paid for his usual job.

An inventor or author of a rationalization proposal relieved of his usual work keeps his job, his leave allowance and all the other rights and privileges linked to his permanent job.

If he is neither a worker nor employee, an employment contract can be drawn up with him providing for remuneration related to his qualifications and the complexity of the work.

When the author of a proposal participates in its practical introduction in production away from his domicile, the enterprise with which he has an employment contract shall reimburse his travel costs, board and lodging.

In Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, and Poland, for example, legislation on inventions also allows the inventor or rationalizer to participate in the practical implementation of their proposals.

The introduction of an invention or rationalization proposal often requires the elaboration of technical documentation or a model.

In such cases, if the enterprise us ing t he invention or rationalization proposal asks the author to provide technical documentation or a model, it must draw up a contract with him providing for payment for hi s work and the reimbursement of incidental expenses, in addition to the remuneration related to use of the invention or rationalization proposal. This is the situation in the USSR and Bulgaria . 166 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Inventors and rationalizers who have been given an honorary title and authors of proposals that are of considerable importance to the national economy also have the right, over and above other benefits, to additional living space. This right is recognized by legislation in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia, Poland, and the USSR.

Inventors and rationalizers also benefit from tax advantages. The remuneration they are paid for an invention or rationalization proposal is tax free up to a certain limit, or even without limit (Mongolia, the German Democratic Republic and the USSR).

When an inventor or author of a rationalization proposal considers that his rights have been infringed and brings a case concerning the amount due before the courts, the method of calculation or the payment of the remuneration due to him for his invention or rationalization proposal, or with regard to the distribution of the remuneration among the co-inventors, or the inclusion of any particular person among the inventors or authors of the rationalization proposal, he is exempt from paying legal fees.

Parallel with the main forms of material incentive granted to inventors or rationalizers which we have just s t udied, there are a large number of moral incentives which are constantly being developed and improved upon. In this context, some of the most important measures should be mentioned.

Individualization of the creative work of the inventor or rationalizer, as expressed in recognition of authorship o f an invention, does not only constitute one of the most important pecuniary rights but also constitutes a considerable incentive. 167 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

A person who, through his creative work, has elaborated an invention or rationalization proposal may not be deprived of his status as its creator. Legislation allows the possibility of instituting proceedings against any person who infringes the rights of the inventor or rationalizer according to a procedure laid down in the criminal code, which fulfills a basically preventive role.

A very importance incentive for an inventor is the right to call it by his own name or by a special designation.

If the name of the inventor or a special designation is given to the invention, it is shown on the title of protection, in the technical documentation concerning the invention, on the products or on their packaging (this is the case, for example, in the legislations of Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Romania and the USSR).

Every year, tens of thousands of inventors receive the title of "Inventor of the USSR'' or are designated best inventor in a particular ministry or department, and this obviously constitutes an important incentive.

One of the most important forms of moral incentive for inventors and rationalizers consists of the honorary titles of inventor emeritus or rationalizer emeritus which have been created in all the republics of the USSR and have already been granted to more than 8,000 inventors and rationalizers. Similar honorary titles are provided for in the legislations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, and Viet Nam. 168 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

Freedom of scientific or technical creation is the very basis of any further development of the system of material and moral incentives for inventive activity and of the strengthening of its effectiveness.

One significant example is the institution of the honorary title of "Inventor emeritus of the USSR" which is bestowed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

This title is bestowed on inventors whose inventions open up new methods of technical development or are of special importance to the national economy.

Among the first inventors to receive this title were Academician B. E. Paton, president of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Prof. S. N. Fedorov, director of the Moscow institute for research on microsurgery of the eye, L. N. Koshkin, chief engineer of the bureau for the study of automatized production lines.

The award of decorations and medals, as well as other forms of encouragement, demonstrate the State's support and promotion of inventive activity in socialist countries.

For example, fifty prizes are awarded each year by the All-Union Society of Inventors and Rationalizers (this mass organization has more than 4 million young members) to young inventors and rationalizers, and special prizes are also awarded to women inventors and rationalizers. 169 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

Inventors' activities are recognized and appreciated not only in their own country but also overseas, as can be seen from the activity in the field of licenses and by the medals, diplomas and other awards granted by exhibitions in many countries.

Special importance is given to the awards to inventors granted by the World Property Intellectual Organization. WIPO medals and diplomas are awarded to those whose technical solutions are particularly useful for a developing country. WIPO honored the inventor G. N. Elkine for an automatic sugar cane harvester and the inventor A. K. Sarkissov for a vaccine against an animal mycosis, trichophytosis.

In addition to giving incentives to inventors, the legislation provides for the possibility of awarding prizes to persons who have contributed to inventive activity or rationalization or to the granting of patent licenses, and establishes a special fund for this purpose.

In the USSR, funds used to promote inventive activity and rationalization are constituted by the savings achi eved 1n enterprises, organizations and institutions through the use of the inventions and rationalization proposals. In enterprises, the amount allocated to these funds corresponds to 1.5% of the total savings achieved during the first year of use of the proposal or, if there have been no savings, 35% of the amount of the remuneration paid to the inventor or author of the rationalization proposal for its use. In ministries and departments, the funds are constituted by allocating 0.4% of the total savings achieved during the first year of use of the 170 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

proposals in the enterprises coming under the respective ministries and departments. Bonuses are given to people who J have contributed to the elaboration or identification of technical solutions recognized as inventions, or to the drafting and submission of the corresponding requests for inventors' certificates, to persons who have contributed to the use of inventions or rationalization proposals, and to those whose initiative has led to the use of inventions and rationalization proposals in other enterprises.

The sources of financing and conditions for granting bonuses vary from country to country. For example, in Bulgaria, the bonus paid for a concrete contribution to the elaboration and application of an invention or rationalization proposal can amount to 50% of the remuneration paid to the inventor or rationalizer during the first year of use; for a personal contribution to developing inventive activity and mass rationalization, the bonuses can amount to 200 leva per year. Vietnamese legislation provides for bonuses to persons who have given an inventor technical support in elaborating his invention; the bonus must not exceed 25% of the remuneration paid to the inventor or, in the event of a contribution towards a proposal's use, 50% of the remuneration.

In the USSR, the bonuses paid for active participation in the granting of patent licenses are financed by a deduction of 5% of the sum derived from selling licenses abroad. These bonuses are paid to workers in the enterprises, organizations, ministries, departments and State committees who have participated in the activities concerned. 171 Rudo1phe Tchistjakov

Parallel with the incentives given to persons, there are also incentive measures for enterprises, organizations, ministries, departments and State committees which participate in selling licenses. 50% of the foreign currency receipts are allocated to the ministries and departments and 30% to the enterprises and organizations which elaborated the inventions and technical documentation corresponding to the licenses sold. The foreign currency is then used to purchase foreign licenses, , equipment and material, and to finance expert missions overseas, which have a promotional effect on the organization and excecution of this activity.

Young inventors and rationalizers make a considerable contribution to overall development of inventive activity in the country. A whole series of wide-ranging measures are used to attract young people to various forms of technical creativity: various sorts of competitions, exhibitions and best creative achievements by young people, games, professional competitions, meetings of young innovators, etc.

Each year, approximately one and a half million inventio ns and rationalization proposals by young innovators are used in the national economy. The resulting economic effects represent approximately one fifth of the total savings achieved through use of inventions and rationalization proposals.

The Youth's Scientific and Technical Creations competition (YSTC) organized all over the Soviet Union is very successful. Concretely, the competition is aimed at mobilizing yout h's creative force for the solution of problems linked to acceleration of scientifical and technical progress. More than twenty million people have taken part in this competition. 172 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

During the last five-year period, the economic effects of using their inventions and rationalization proposals within the national economy represented several billion roubles. Today, one young worker in three participates in elaborating and implementing new techniques, one student in two carries out scientific research or seeks individual technical concepts (my colleague, Mr. Loguinov, will explain in more detail the measures taken to direct students towards inventive activity) and one schoolchild in five participates in the various groups of the YSTC movement.

It is also interesting to note the following facts: the last central exhibition of the YSTC movement showed more than ten thousand of the best achievements of young innovators. These achievements, which were representative of all branches of economic activity, had been made by more than 45,000 young men and women. 50% of them were protected by an inventor's certificate. Young innovators from friendly socialist countries - Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Laos, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, and Viet Nam - also took an active part in the exhibition.

The exhibition permitted a wide-ranging exchange of views on experience gained in orienting young people towards technical creation, invention, and rationalization. It was also the framework for a seminar on ways and means of organizing inventive activity and rationalization among young people.

In addition to the incentives given to inventors and authors of rationalization proposals, gold, silver and bronze medals, and cash prizes are given to the authors of works of 173 Rudolphe Tchistjakov

I I particular value. As was stated during the XXVIth congress of the Communist Party of the USSR "the Party and State have devoted considerable efforts to making man's work not only more productive, but also more rich, interesting and creative, and they will continue to do so." The new generation is being educated for precisely this type of work in the professional and technical colleges. The task consists of not only enabling the pupil to master complex techniques, but also to participate in their creation and improvement.

A number of measures help to attract large numbers of pupils and workers in professional and technical colleges towards technical creation: competitions organized at various levels (in the republics, regions, cities, etc), exhibitions, exchanges of experience, and socialist competition in technical creativity among teams set up within the col l eges.

It is not unknown for research by students from a professional and technical college to lead to the development of an invention or rationalization proposal. For example, a 16 year old pupil at the State professional and technical school Nr. 118 at Baranovitchi, V. Petrovsky, obtained an inventor's certificate for developing a "swing bridge . " In 1982, 13,400 rationalization proposals were made in professional and technical schools as a whole and their use led to a saving of 2,869,000 roubles.

Technical creative activities help students in professional and technical schoo ls to become more acquainted with the intricacies of their future profession, to broaden their technical culture, to develop their creative capacity and, when they leave the school, to carry out more productive and creative work, to take part in inventive or rationalization activity or to continue with higher or technical studies. 174 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

An analysis carried out in a certain number of shows that approximately 80% of the worker-rationalizers are people who had taken up technical creativity at school or in professional and technical colleges.

The fact that it is taught in school helps to give creative activity in the scientific and technical field its wide dissemination and future prospects.

The pupils' initiation in technical creativity also helps them to become more familiar with science and technology, with inventive activity and rationalization, and helps them to widen their horizons, as well as instilling in them one of the main qualities of Soviet man, a creative attitude towards work.

One effective way of developing technical creativity in children has been the competition organi zed i n the whole of the Soviet Union under the slogan 'Young technicians and naturalists - for your country!'. More than 7 million young technicians and naturalists took part and presented more than 35,000 different technical solutions . A number of them were accepted as rationalizati on p r oposals and inventions and were used in enterprises.

Each year, approximately 20,000 items by young inventors and rationalizers are sent to the permanent secratariat o f the postal competition o r ganized in t he So v i et Un i on f or t echni cal achievements by pionee rs, schoolchi ldren and students under t he slogan 'Create, invent and test!'. Diplomas, emblems and honorary prizes are given to those sending in the best e xamples. 175 Rudo1phe Tchistjakov

In the context of this overall study of incentive measures for inventive activity, in particular, for young people and schoolchildren, I should like to give a concrete example showing the measures taken to attract students towards technical creation. In the Moscow school Nr. 42, familiarization with technical creativity begins with the very first craft classes. The school has workshops with first-class equipment: more than 38 machine tools for cutting metal, lathes, carpenters' benches and small-scale mechanization tools. Each week there is a meeting of the 'Create, invent and test!' club. In the club's 14 years of existence, approximately 2,500 pupils have taken part in the work of its various groups and sections; 990 of them have become workers, 370 engineers, project . designers or other specialists. In 1985, the pupils filed a number of applications for protection of inventions. Several first, second and third grade diplomas, diplomas with honor and other rewards were granted to the young inventors and rationalizers for their participation in competitions both in the Soviet Union and abroad.

Pupils coming from such a school can be confident that the technical creativity skills they have acquired there and the atmosphere of trust and concern shown by the adults will help them to remain creative everywhere and always and to contribute actively to the building of advanced socialism.

* * *

Mr. Viatcheslav Vassilkovsky, Researcher, Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gabrovo, Bulgaria

SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PROMOTION OF CREATIVE ACTIVITY IN INVENTORS

In the present situation, characterized as it is by a rate of technological development hitherto unknown, the creative activity of inventors represents an important potential for the future intensification of scientific and technological progress of mankind. Moreover, the complexity of the process of creation as such, and the difficulties assoc i ated with any study of the characteristic features of inventive activity, which incidentally for many a long year was not recognized as a creative activity, are the main reasons for which the problems of creativity have only begun to be seriously considered during the last two or three decades.

The complexity of the problems involved seem capable also of explaining the fact that, until now, there is no generally accepted criterion by which an activity that is creative may be distinguished from one which is not. Contemporary literature enshrines two main criteria for creative activity which are not distinguished with sufficient clarity and which sometimes overlap: one of the criteria is sociological and the other psychological. For instance, certain specialists see the originality and social value of the product as the essential characteristic of creative activity, whereas others look on it as a process of solution o f a given problem where the routes towards the solution and the solution itsel f are not known at the outset. The imprecision of the criteria dete r mi n i ng creative acbivity is thus responsible for the absence of a single, generally accepted classification of the vari ous forms of creative activity. 178 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

In this study, the concept of creative activity is used where the criterion for the differentiation of creative activity and non-creative activity is of a psychological nature, in other words where the solution of a technical problem possesses subjective novelty.

The divergent opinions that may be observed among authors(l) regarding the question of the form of creative activity (technical or scientific and technical) to which inventive and rationalizing (innovative) activity belongs are due to the vagueness of the definition of the psychological characteristics of such forms of activity. Yet this definition is very important, in practical as well as in theoretical terms, as it conditions the efficacy of measures to promote creative activity among inventors, and also influences the appropriate and scientifically based training of creative personalities in the field of science and technology.

It is customary at present to distinguish between inventive activity and rationalizing (innovative) activity according to their end products. From a legal standpoint this criterion is a good one, yet the product of the activity does not always establish whether the technical problem presented has been resolved creatively, as the process of creation in the psychological sense may be absent. Neither is it possible, owing to the diversity of the products of inventive and rationalizing (innovative) activity, to determine whether general or distinctive characteristics of creative activity on the part of inventors and rationalizers (innovators), at the level of the problems that they are called upon to solve, are actually present. 179 Viatcheslav Vassilkovsky

First it may be observed that, unlike inventive activity, the problems of rationalization (innovation) are very varied in their psychological characteristics as, in the process of solving them, reproductive and productive aspects play different roles. Rationalization proposals may in practice be accepted and put into effect in the following cases:

(l) The solution of the technical problem is not new to the rationalizer but taken over from another industry. In that case the productive reflection involved is at best negligible, while reproductive reflection, in other words the art of making use of an existing device or detail in a new setting, is predominant;

(2) The solution has only a small novelty element, as its author has made changes or an improvement of little importance to a device that he already knew for the solution of the problem presented;

(3) The solution is new and original to the author who had no previous knowledge of a comparable solution. However, while being of substantial novelty for the author, the solution of the technical problem presented does not have any social value as an invention.

Consequently, the tasks of rationalization are substantially different from one another. In the first two cases--which are the most characteristic of the rationalization process--the route to the desired solution and the product of the activity are known in advance to the rationalizer. In the psychological sense there is no creative activity. Only the rationalization tasks of the third type, the solution of which possesses subjective novelty, can be described as creative. 180 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

They are the least representative of rationalization activity in general, and that fact should be borne in mind when socio-psychological investigations are made, as they are the only rationalization proposals that should be regarded as technological creation.

However, the concept of "technological creation" must not include inventive activity, which is the link connecting science and technology. Any invention serves technology and science directly, and makes it possible to implement scientific progress in technology. The invention as a creative activity presents itself as the concrete element joining science and technology, which makes it possible to implement scientific progress in technology and contributes to technological development, and thereby creates the foundations for further scientific progress. That is why it seems justified to look on inventive activity as "creative scientific and technological activity."

In order to strengthen inventive activity in future, it is important to determine the common characteristics and the differences revealed by the creative p r ocesses o f invento r s working in various fields of technology. On the basis of the author's investigations (2, 3) it may be stated that, from the psychological standpoint, there a r e n o differ ences in the creati ve process, whateve r the fo r m of activity considered. This conclusion is borne out not only by the assertions of creators of the univer sal type, fo r instance the famous inventor, physics theorist, philosopher and architect P. Hein, who for a certain time worked with A. Einstein and N. Bohr, and who stated that "the process of c r eation in science a nd technology is of the same nature a s that which manifests itself 181 Viatcheslav Vassilkovsky

in the forms of activity described by us as artistic," ((4), pp. 9 and 10) but also by the fact that, even nowadays, we may meet creative personalities who are working successfully in various fields of activity, for instance Y. Gamzaev, holder of a technical science diploma, author of many inventions, numerous research works, engravings and also a dictionary, who is proficient in many languages, translates perfectly and recites poems artistically--in other words he is at once an inventor, an artist and performer, a research scientist, a linguist and a polyglot.(5)

Research in recent years has spread the opinion that the progress made by science and technology and also the rate of their development are now such that for a single person it is becoming difficult in practice to master even one specific technical task. At first sight such an assertion does not seem groundless, as scientific and technological problems are becoming more and more complex as time goes by, and the material solutions to them generaly require substantial investments of means and time (both often exceeding the capacities of a single person). Moreover, the amount of information reaching each human is constantly increasing, while at the same time it is becoming more difficult for him to keep abreast of developments in a given a rea. Is it right, however, to conclude from the above that the difficulty is a fundamental one that is a handicap to any measure for the stimulation of the creative activity of inventors?

The invention process is of course tied to the rigid forms, limitations and rules of the material world; yet an invention comes into being o nly if we embark on the solution of a technical problem not in a stereotyped but in a creative 182 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

manner, if we go outside the framework of established forms, limitations and rules, in other words if we see them in a new light, from a different viewpoint. But we do not know just how far beyond hitherto established limits the imagination of the man who transforms the technology surrounding him actually can go, and therefore it can be stated that an excess of information is not a fundamental obstacle to the development of the creative activity of inventors. Moreover, the information received by the specialist has a twofold influence on his creative activity. On the one hand, a new piece of information may become the basis for a new invention, and on the other hand an earlier piece of information relating to the problem under consideration often has an adverse effect on the progress of the work, as it creates in the mind-set of the inventor a certain psychological barrier which he will not be able to overcome in his search for a solution.

If inventive activity depended essentially on the sheer volume of knowledge, inventors would be most numerous among scientists. However, according to the studies made by A. Talejko {6), there is no such correlation. Neither is there any noticeable correlation between success in academic studies and creative achievement in professional life.(7)

Consequently, on the road towards creative achievement, the inventor encounters not so much objective difficulties arising from the acquisition of a certain level of knowledge, and from rapid familiarization with the latest achievements in the field of interest to him, but above all difficulties of a subjective nature. Subjective difficulties have always existed and, what is more, far fewer present themselves to mankind today than, for instance, at the begi nning of the history of 183 Viatcheslav Vassilkovsky

man in his present form. Indeed it is difficult to imagine today the enormous intellectual effort that it took to establish the foundations of our present knowledge, which today are served to us ready-made (by means of books, radio and television broadcasts and other information media), and which we assimilate quite readily. How are we to visualize the subjective difficulties experienced by the person who had the idea of tying a stone to a piece of wood and thereby invented something which to us suggests a hammer? That representative of the human race did not dispose of the knowledge and experience that could have greatly helped him to find that solution. It would seem that, a very long time ago, creative activity relied above all on chance ideas. To put it another way, a prominent part in the creative process was played by intuition. With the development of thought and intellectual processes, logical constructions have come to play a growing part in creative activity. For that reason it seems wise t o classify all forms of creative activity, whatever the area in which they take place, in two main groups:

- immediate or primary creation, where the solution to the problem occurs to the inventor suddenly, by reference to the experience stored up in the subconscious, and

- mediate or secondary creation, where the creative solution to the problem presented is essentially the result of logical reasoning.

We cannot subscribe to the analysis of authors who, in view of the pace of the scientific and technological revo lution and its characteristics, assert that the age of individual creative solutions is now past, and that the main, 184 INVENTIVENESS FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

determinative role in modern creative achievement has been taken over by teams. From a psychological point of view, this way of thinking is false, and from a social point of view it is harmful, as it leads to a lessening of the creative potential of our society. The social harmfulness is reflected above all in the fact that, in practice, we overlook that a team is made up of individuals and that the greater the creative activity of each member of the group, the more effective their joint creative action. We are part of the group, we are not isolated individuals. In the absence of creative activity on the part of persons considered individually, there is certainly not going to be any collective creation. For that reason it seems important to us to draw the attention of the specialists concerned with problems regarding the stimulation of inventive activity to the fact that the formation of teams of creators is a very important but nonetheless secondary task. In the foreground there has to be the creative education of the individual.

Certain authors consider that the solution of the problems presented by the stimulation of inventive activity has to involve a search for naturally-gifted personalities. They thus give precedence to biological factors and neglect social factors in the formation of the creator's personality. Without actually dismissing the role of natural talents, we do however consider that every man is a potential creator. Modern psychology does not know of any particular characteristics that are peculiar to inventors and do not exist, even in an embryonic form, in all men. And yet if that is true, what should one develop in a man for him to acquire an inventive mind and develop a creative activity? 185 Viatcheslav Vassilkovsky

The complexity of the question asked is clear to see, but analysis of the studies made in this connection, and of the author's work, enable us to state that it is necessary to form in every man the thought patterns and personality traits that are usually the characteristic feature of rationalizers (innovators), to develop in him the power of independent reflection and to assert his personality and develop his taste for knowledge and spirit of determination. In this respect there are a wealth of possibilities that have yet to be fully exploited for stimulating the creative potential of the working masses.

Bibliography

(1) Mamykine I.P., Analoguia v tekhnitcheskom tvortchestve. , 1972.

(2) Vassilkovsky V.A., Nekotorye problemy naoutchno-tekhnitcheskogo tvortchestva. Collection of lectures given at the first national meeting of young scientists, "Industrial Electronics and Precision Engineering in Manufacturing," Gabrovo, 1975.

(3) Vassilkovsky V.A., Vuzmojnosti za oupravlyavane na tekhnitcheskoto tvortchestvo. Collection of lectures dedicated to the XIth Congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Gabrovo, 1975.

(4) Hein, P., On Examining Science and Other Arts, "Impact of Science on Society," Paris, 1974, Vol. 24, 1.

(5) Serdyukov, 0., Tak mnogo i nteresnogo--in "Izobr etatel 1 ratsionalizator," 1978, 10.

(6) Talejko, E., Zagadnieni a psychologi i tw6rcz6sci techneznej, Poznan, 1971.

(7) Taylor, C.W., Ellison, P.L., Pr edictors and Criteria of Creativity: a Utah Progress Report. - -In: Climate for Creativity. Report of the Seventh National Resear ch Conference on Creativity. New York, 1972.

* *