Higgins has also won a contract to create an open source e-portfolio system, where users can, for example, keep school work, presentations, research, notes and photos in one secure place online, rather than generating vast quantities of paper, he says.

'You can allow different sorts of access for different people. For example, your university tutor, a potential employer, or your brother or sister. You can build on it for life-long learning and, when you grow old, share it with your grandchildren.'

The e-portfolio system would tie into student management systems, or into learning management systems, for teaching, and you could author it using eXe.' Higgins says.