As part of the reforms to the 1918 Plan for the Doctorate in Diplomacy at the Universidad Mayor de la República Oriental del Uruguay (UDELAR), the foundations and the first International Negotiation Program in Uruguay were presented to the Board of Directors of the newly established International Relations program. This program was approved by the Council of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, becoming the first university-level negotiation program in Uruguay. For several years, there was close collaboration with this Chair, contributing both faculty and study materials.

In 2004, the School of Negotiation was formally established, with its first headquarters in Montevideo, becoming the pioneering institution in Latin America for conflict management and negotiation. Due to growing external demand, the Latin American Institute for Conflict Management was created in 2005, establishing a presence in São Paulo, Brazil, and working in collaboration with the Universidade Estadual de São Paulo. Additionally, operations were launched in Brasília, where intensive training activities were developed for both the public and private sectors, reaching the states of Tocantins, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Ceará, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro, while the needs of Rio Grande do Sul were served from Montevideo.

Furthermore, the institute expanded into Paraguay with activities in Asunción and Ciudad del Este, Bolivia through Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Argentina via Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, and Ecuador through strategic alliances in Quito and Guayaquil. This marked the second major international expansion of our school of thought.

In 2014, activities in Brazil intensified through agreements with Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro and Universidade Estadual de Goiás. The first Postgraduate Program in Negotiation, Mediation, and Arbitration in Latin America was developed through a strategic alliance with the university but under the leadership and training of our institution.

During this period, there was significant activity in the country, with numerous initiatives involving private companies, public and private educational institutions, and extensive programs conducted with Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, as well as various units of the Military Police, Civil Police, the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, and the Labor Court.

From 2017 to the present, there has been an increase in training in Conflict Management and Negotiation, specifically applied to labor relations. Numerous labor unions and various employers have requested “customized training” to foster internal and external relations in a peaceful and productive manner, facilitating negotiations and inter-company relations. Federations and unions of public and private sector employees have been systematically trained and continue to be, leading to the development of a new line of work: the Consulting Service.

In 2020, the Consulting Service was inaugurated in response to emerging demand. The Laboratory began offering a Japanese-style conciliation system, based on the principle that the best resolution for conflicts and disputes is one that avoids court proceedings or any processes beyond the self-composition of the conflict. This service provides advice on emerging or imminent conflicts, offers prevention strategies, conducts studies and expert opinions, negotiates on behalf of third parties when necessary, supports negotiation and conflict resolution processes, and, when required, carries out mediation and arbitration actions. We are very proud of this system, which has successfully achieved peaceful, cost-effective, and swift resolutions in many cases, ranging from family law issues to sectoral business conflicts.

In 2021, new research lines were introduced within the Laboratory due to the growing need to advance in conflict management, negotiation, and communication in response to the increasing multigenerational workplace environment. Additionally, rapid technological advancements required substantial changes not only in work dynamics but also in intergenerational relationships. Once again, the Laboratory established a new research section, which is now fully operational, reinforcing our pioneering approach.

In 2022 and 2023, we continued developing all our activities, now focusing on two key aspects: creating new development models for managing relational skills, convinced that much of the future success of individuals and organizations depends on enhancing and strengthening these abilities.