AN ONLINE curriculum planning service has been named the promising project from a new National Digital Research Centre-backed programme.

Linking Learning was one of eight potential start-ups pitching their ideas to a panel yesterday as part of the “Swequity Exchange” project.

The educational service allows primary school teachers to share, in real time, learning objectives and tips with their students’ parents. The project made it to the final eight after it was chosen from 85 entries that originally applied for the Swequity programme.

The NDRC scheme aims to raise the bar for start-ups, bringing together budding entrepreneurs and teams of voluntary experts and mentors who will work with them to develop the idea.

If the project takes off, the team gets an equity stake in the firm, while entrepreneurs get advice and help along the way.

“All an entrepreneur needs is to get access to a forum where they can meet the experts and supporters who are most relevant to their idea,” NDRC inventorium director Mark Kearns said.

“Swequity matches the best ideas with the best expertise in technology, creative, business and marketing skills. In this way, the creator of a business idea can source the management and technical know-how they need to give it a competitive advantage.”

The seven other start-ups included everything from a social media platform for renters to a digital lab for small-quantity manufacture of prototype products.

All the firms that made it to the final weeks will receive mentoring through NDRC’s inventorium programme.