This is the latest milestone in Steorn's efforts to get validation for its technology, which began when the company issued a challenge to the world's scientists via an advertisement in the Economist in August 2006.

Steorn's technology is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and allows the production of clean, free and constant energy. The technology can be applied to virtually all devices requiring energy, from cellular phones to cars.

The Steorn panel was oversubscribed several times with hundreds of qualified scientists applying to be part of the jury. The final jury hail from several of the world's leading academic/scientific institutions and there will be representation on the panel from the US and several European countries.

The jury have all agreed to see the testing process through to its completion and have their names and findings disclosed once the testing is complete. Steorn has agreed not to identify members of the jury until the results are made public, to protect their privacy and avoid unnecessary interruptions to their work.

Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, commented: "We are very excited to have the contracts in place with this group of highly qualified individuals, because it means we can finally get on with the validation stage. We ourselves have always been confident in the technology but believe that the calibre of the jury will play an important part in helping us to convince the sceptics."

Steorn anticipates that testing will begin early in the New Year. The precise timetable for the testing phase will be determined by the jurors, as will the location and format of the test process. Once the testing is complete the results will be made public via the Steorn website www.steorn.com.

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