Pictured at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs, is Dr Emmeline Hill, recipient of the 2014 NovaUCD Innovation Award.

Irish equine genomics company Equinome plans to open an office in the US next year and has six new DNA-related tests in development which it intends to release over the next two years.

This Enterprise Ireland supported client company is also hoping to double its workforce to 20 in the next 12 months.

These plans coincide with the increase in usage of Equinome's genetic tests by racehorse owners and breeders around the world.

The company made the announcement at an event held on Monday at University College Dublin, where Equinome's co-founder Dr Emmeline Hill was presented with the 2014 NovaUCF Innovation Award.

Hill co-founded Equinome in partnership with Jim Bolger in 2009.

Professor Andrew Deeks, president of University College Dublin, said: "The 2014 NovaUCD Innovation Award was presented to Dr Hill in recognition of the successes she has achieved to date through the quality and impact of her research and through the impact of Equinome in the thoroughbred industry in Ireland and internationally."

"Equinome, established to commercialise world-class UCD research outputs, is an excellent example of a UCD spin-out company with global reach and sales. While only established in 2010 Equinome has already significantly changed breeding techniques in the global Thoroughbred industry which had until then remained unchanged for hundreds of years."

Read full press release here