It is not a technique in the primary science of Euclid, but Prof Nichol said it could be deployed at some stage.

BBC: Euclid telescope to probe dark universe

While venture debt can be an important tool at any stage of development, it is not and should never be seen as the primary source of capital or a replacement to equity provided by the venture capital or private equity.

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At that stage, most pupils had not heard the term, even though eight out of the 10 post-primary schools were actually taking part in sharing schemes.

BBC: Northern Ireland