Tomorrow Maker grant puts science in the picture

Adelaide start-up company that makes catchy videos and graphics to help scientists communicate has won a grant from the AMP Tomorrow Fund. Founder of Animate Your Science, Dr Tullio Rossi, is hiring as a result.

Scientists need every bit of help they can get to tell their stories and share their research, so a grant from the AMP Tomorrow Fund is a welcome boost for Adelaide start-up Animate Your Science.

Founder Dr Tullio Rossi says the $15,000 grant means he can expand the business and hire someone, rather than just employing freelancers.

“Yes we won $15,000 and that’s not going to cover the whole salary of course but it is going to help us a lot to sustain cash flow in the delicate phase when we really need an employee but we just can’t afford it,” he said.

“This money gives me great peace of mind.”

Dr Rossi offers an usual combination of skills and experience from his base at the University of Adelaide ThincLab.

“I used to be a graphic designer, since I was 18 or so, well before I started in science, but I thought it was just something that would never intersect with science,” he said.

“Then one day I literally connected the dots like people say and found myself saying ‘Oh, I can turn science into something pretty’.

“I started reading about storytelling, I got really into it and that made a difference to the way these videos feel, so it's not just telling facts with visuals, it's telling a story with the video.”

And the market for animated science is expanding with the growth in social media and online forms of traditional media.

Dr Rossi points to reports that estimate 20 per cent of scientists worldwide – around 1.6 million – now regularly use social media for outreach and self-promotion.

“So, given scientists with a social media presence are the most likely group to value and use our services, we initially estimate our potential market to be around 1.6 million individuals,” he said.

“But ultimately we envision a day when video abstracts will be the norm and all research papers will have one, just as all movies now have a trailer.”

The video he made for Flinders University researcher Dr Justin Chalker and fellow AMP Tomorrow Fund grant winner is one of the best examples. Dr Chalker will use the funds to help commercialise the innovative polymer made from petroleum waste products capable of absorbing mercury and cleaning up oil spills.

AMP Foundation head Helen Liondos says the “diversity of this year’s Tomorrow Makers demonstrates the talent and innovation within our community”.

“The beauty of the Tomorrow Fund is that the funds can be used for a range of things to help people achieve their goal – whether it’s a vital piece of equipment, training or travel,” she said.

“That flexibility can foster agility and innovation.”