Brunel helps to develop EU e-arbitration platform

Brunel University has helped develop an on-line arbitration platform for mediation centres as part of a pan-European consortium.

The new software, which will be unveiled in January, aims to provide a cost-effective on-line service for mediation centres with low caseloads and where the parties are small to medium-sized businesses.

It was developed with a consortium of five European partners as part of a 860,000 (550,000) scheme funded by the EU's information society technology's fifth framework programme (IST).

Tony Elliman, of Brunel's department of information systems and computing, said: 'Prior to this, arbitration software only recorded the legal persona of a corporate party and their appointed legal representative.

'The e-arbitration-T platform allows any number of real people to be recorded as members or representatives of the party.'

He said this avoids the security loopholes created by shared passwords and gives a more accurate audit trail of document submissions because they now come from a recognised individual rather than an amorphous corporate source.

Mediation providers who will use the new technology include the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Peter Walters, who works for UKISHELP - an organisation designed to bring UK companies, directors and others into contact with the EU information society's programmes - said: 'The EU's sixth framework programme has a budget of 3.6 billion, over the next four years, to promote IST and stimulate the adoption of the aims of the information society of Europe.'

He urged businesses interested in participating to contact UKISHELP, tel: 0870 606 1515.

LINKS: www.ukishelp.co.uk

Jeremy Fleming