Bringing scientists to the people – the Co‐Extra website

Abstract

Disseminating and facilitating access to science-based information is a necessity to enable the public to make informed decisions about appropriate uses of biotechnology products. It is also one of the major objectives of Co-Extra, a European-funded project addressing co-existence of genetically modified organisms and non-genetically modified organisms in Europe and their traceability. To this end, a dynamic and interactive website has been developed as the core element of the Co-Extra external communication strategy. This website has been designed to make it attractive and accessible to a large audience in a very simple and practical manner, building on practical experiences gained in the development of other websites related to biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. The website delivers popularized information for the general public as well as scientific data meant primarily for the more expert readers. It also provides for various permanent tools allowing multidirectional interaction with its visitors. Content is displayed using a web-based platform, based on a sophisticated Content Management System. First results indicate a high level of interest from the general public and from experts, showing that the content of this website can contribute by communicating science-based information to improve awareness and understanding of biotechnology.