Eric Risser, TCD and founder of start-up company Artomatix has won the inaugural ‘Roots in Research’ award. This is a new prize of €5,000 presented at the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneurship Awards in Cork on 12th June 2014.

Eric Risser identified a gap in the animation and digital art industry and developed a Texture Synthesis Based Hybridisation for Images and Geometry technology in response. His software enables digital artists to make art faster, cheaper and better in movies, games and animations. He has since gone on to establish a spin-out company called Artomatix from Trinity College Dublin.

Presenting the award, Gearoid Mooney, Director Research & Innovation, Enterprise Ireland said “Enterprise Ireland wanted to highlight the commercial potential of research funded by the Irish Government so we introduced the Roots in Research Award. We were looking for students who demonstrated an ability to spot the commercial potential of their research project. Eric did much more than that and has gone on to set up a company which is trading as Artomatix”.

Pictured are the Roots of Research Winners Eric Risser and Neal O'Gorman from Artomatix (Trinity College Dublin) with Enterprise Ireland's Gearoid Mooney