Canopy member awarded Purple Plaque for contribution to innovation

31 July 2024 - Dr Liz Zijing Li, Co-Founder at Mimicrete, a Canopy member, unveiled her Purple Plaque this month, highlighting the importance of support for women in innovation.

The award celebrates the co-founder and inventor's contribution to innovation in the Built Environment sector. Mimicrete Ltd has developed novel, self-healing concrete, via a doctorate within the University of Cambridge’s Geotechnical and Environmental Research Group in the Department of Engineering.

The UK boasts thousands of blue plaques, with 900 in London alone, honouring pioneering historic figures. However, fewer than one in seven Blue Plaques feature women, exposing a broader lack of role models for women, across media, business and education.

In response, Innovate UK introduced the Purple Plaques campaign in 2019, to inspire more girls to follow in the footsteps of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation. Since then, Innovate UK has unveiled 50 Purple Plaques at schools up and down the country.

Dr Zijing Li said: "As an inventor, I am glad to see this self-monitoring system recognised by Innovate UK for its potential. And as a female innovator in the construction sector, I can also tell the impact this would bring in leveraging female exposure and inspiring future leaders in STEM."

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