Thirdforce unit links with UK firm

Irish e-learning group Electric Paper has formed a landmark joint venture with Harcourt Education, the largest educational publisher in the UK.

The joint venture will see Electric Paper, a subsidiary of listed group Thirdforce, provide computer-based interactive learning tools to complement Harcourt's textbooks.

Neither company was prepared to put a value on the deal but the news saw Thirdforce's shares jump 30 per cent to 35 cents yesterday.

Mr Brendan O'Sullivan, chief executive of Thirdforce, said the deal was "an important partnership between two industry leaders". Harcourt is part of the Reed Elsevier group.

Thirdforce hopes that the new joint venture will lead to further deals with Harcourt in other markets. "There are 34,000 secondary schools in Britain and these guys are known in them all," said Mr O'Sullivan.

He is hoping to capitalise on British government funding of £10,500 (€15,760) a year for every school earmarked for e-learning.

The prospects for the joint venture were enhanced, he said, by the fact that 98 per cent of secondary schools in Britain had broadband.

"The British government has been committed in this area since 1996 and we are very exited about the potential this joint venture opens," Mr O'Sullivan said.

Harcourt chief executive Mr Chris Jones said the interactive component would "motivate students to a greater degree than worksheets and flat contents traditionally supplied on companion CD-ROMs".