BIOPOP: Young scientists are looking for debate

Delft, April 3, 2006 – Nearly 3000 people visited the second event of BIOPOP in Delft last weekend. They were introduced to the future of biotechnology; over 50 young European researchers were awaiting them, equipped with DNA from kiwis, cow cells and their own saliva. The DNA launched great discussions between visitors and scientists on the benefits and risks of DNA databanks, genetically modified food and gene therapy. The scientists turned into professional debaters, creating a growing enthusiasm among the visitors. More importantly, the scientists themselves were also pleasantly surprised by the effect their communicative approach had on themselves. “BIOPOP is a whole new experience,” says one of them.

Above is the introduction of a press release that was sent out on April 4, 2006. It gives an overview of the success of the public event of BIOPOP that took place on April 1 and 2 2006 in Delft. In the following sections you can read more about BIOPOP, its events and its impact.

BIOPOP is…

In 2005 five European organizations of young life scientists received a grant under the Sixth Framework Program of the European Commission to carry out the BIOPOP project. ‘BIOPOP’ comprises the terms ‘bio’ and ‘pop’ which refer to bringing issues of biotechnology-related sciences under the general population. It is a two-year project – ending in December 2006 – that aims to develop and test a new model of public communication of science. This model is strongly based on an “open-lab” environment and true interaction between scientists and public. The BIOPOP Consortium has set up two public events, on the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna (Italy) and on the Markt in Delft (the Netherlands) to implement and test this model. Over 60 well-trained scientists from Italy, France, Germany Poland and the Netherlands participated in each of these events.

The links below take you along the full project. If you want to know more about the project or have questions about any follow-up, please send an email to Terry Vrijenhoek at terry@geneyous.nl.

• Project website: The full overview of the organization, set up and participants of the project.
• Public website: This website gives full information on the two events, the media attention, and the participating scientists. It also allows visitors to get more in-depth information on biotechnology, provided by the scientists themselves.
• Photo's of the Bologna event: Impressions of the event in Bologna on October 8 and 9, 2005.
• Photo's of the Delft event: Impressions of the event in Delft on April 1 and 2, 2006.

BIOPOP is presented at:
Sharing Knowledge
October 11, 2006, Amsterdam

Meeting Of Minds: CSG International Workshop On Public Engagement
November 2, 2006, Amsterdam

Article in C2W