History

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It has taken 12 years for the complex technology required for Slivers-of-Time markets to become economically viable. Far beyond the functionality of auction sites for example, it requires very sophisticated processing applied to low-value transactions.

We are an apolitical organisation, however the Labour government has been supportive over many years. Think-tanks, technology companies and policymakers have also contributed to thinking about technology for selling irregular small amounts of time.

Slivers-of-Time: a rough timeline

1994	Technology journalist Wingham Rowan approaches the London think tank Demos with a project about "Public Benefit Computer Trading", a way of using the Internet to sell small amounts of time. Further research and development begins.
1995	Rowan starts producing and presenting cyber.cafe, an ITV series about "what Britain gets up to on the Internet". The series went on to run for five years, providing funding to keep the Slivers-of-Time project alive.
1996	Geoff Mulgan, the founder of Demos, organizes a series of workshops where the Slivers-of-Time concept is road tested with big technology companies, policy makers and theorists.
1997	Demos publish a book by Rowan about the potential of these new, not yet realizable, types of markets.
1998	Future of work guru Charles Handy assists in getting a further book deal.
1999	MacMillan publish Rowan's second book about markets for small amounts of time in Europe and the US. (It is later translated for both China and Korea.)
2000	A company set up to make the technology a reality is launched with PricewaterhouseCoopers as the main backer.
2001	The technology proves premature. PwC's test team confirm it is unstable and can not be rolled out. The company is wound up initiating a dispute between Rowan and PwC over ownership of Intellectual Property.
2002	Rowan and PwC battle publicly over the aftermath of their venture. The IP is returned to Rowan.
2003	A year of intense work on new technology specifications and building of advanced screen dummies. Cap Gemini contribute technology advice and support.
2004	Rowan launches Tower Hamlets based Guaranteed Markets Ltd. with financing by private investors. Prototype technology built by Comdaq Ltd.
2005	Slivers-of-Time awarded £0.5m by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's e-innovation fund. Industrial scale application built by Torchbox Ltd.
2006	Market runs, initially in East London. Slivers-of-Time Ltd. is launched to take the service to sustainability.

The Slivers-of-Time launch team now work regularly with central government departments on the policy implications of this new way of working.

• Coverage of Slivers-of-Time