Liz Williams from Denbighshire took home the prize for the best entry in the Science & Technology category at the ceremony in Berlin last weekend.
Williams said that she was encouraged to develop a personal safety alarm that could offer a better deterrent against attacks after the tragic murders of young schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
The Linkz DNA range is now being marketed under a different name by RedWeb Security as ‘the world’s first intelligent forensic trace alarm’. It uses unique biosynthetic DNA, registered to each individual premises or person, to mark intruders clothing and skin to provide forensic and visual proof of their presence at the crime scene.
This technology is said to be highly regarded by law enforcement agencies, who refer to it as prima facie (first instance) evidence. Indeed, the Redweb range of DNA dyes has been classified as ‘Secured by Design’ by the ACPO’s Crime Prevention Initiative.
Williams is now a shareholder of RedWeb, who offer a number of products designed to ‘dye’ would-be thieves at businesses, too.
A total of 35 women inventors and innovators presented their entries to the judging panel at the Kempinski Hotel Bristol on the 14th of June. Diane Morris, Vice-President of the International Alliance for Women, chaired the panel of nine judges and announced the results at an awards dinner on the evening of Saturday 16 June.
The overall prize for Best Woman Inventor & Innovator went to Aino Heikkinen from Finland, for her patented TEXCEM process for recycling waste synthetic rag and combining it with microcement.
