1. In a data processing system comprising at least two autonomous data processing units and a resource which may be used by said units and wherein each of said units is assigned an identification number and a priority level for requesting the use of said resource, and wherein each unit is provided with an interface means and a multiple-conductor channel to connect said interface means, a method for granting said resource to at least one of said units in a decentralized manner, comprising the steps of: providing communications between said units, said communications consisting of first, second and third conditional control signals each capable of assuming a first or second logical state, a first binary word representing the priority level of the requesting unit which has the highest priority level, a second binary word representing the identification number of the unit which has been granted the use of said resource, determining whether any of said units has requested said resource, said request being signaled autonomously by any of said interface means positioning said first conditional control signal in said second logical state, determining whether said resource has been granted to any of said units, said granting being signaled by the interface means associated with the unit which has been granted said resource positioning said second conditional control signal in said second logical state, determining whether said unit is requesting said resource while at least one other unit is also requesting said resource thus necessitating a competition run among said requesting units to determine which unit will be granted said resource, said competition run being signaled by said interface means positioning said third conditional control signal in said second logical state, inhibiting other requests for said resource during said competition run, resolving said competition run by sampling said first binary word and calculating whether the priority level of said unit is higher than the priority levels of the other units within said run, validating the winning unit of said competition run after a predetermined period of time by the interface means associated with said winning unit transmitting said indentification number in said second binary word, positioning said third conditional control signal in said first logical state to allow new requests for said resource and a new competition run.