The term "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment. Biotechnology represents a frontier area in scientific development and its importance goes from ethical to environmental and economic issues as is re-designing the possibilities of transforming life.

Society is increasingly asking to be timely informed about the actual scientific research and the institutional activities in research policies and decisions, since great expectations are counter-balanced by a feeling of uncertainty concerning not only safety but also a radical modification of cultural heritage, consolidated values and emotional identities. Still at the present time there is a lack of communication between science and society that leads to a discrepancy between people doing science and people speaking about its socio-political, economical and cultural effects. Often scientists speak a language that is incomprehensible to non scientists and the cultural critique is using a rhetoric that makes very difficult for scientists to identify themselves. This process often leads to dangerous and infertile utopias or dystopias that do not facilitate the understanding of society of biotechnological issues.

The aim of the Wombit conference is to promote an interdisciplinary and wide debate among feminists and scientists.

We expect that a conference on biotechnologies from a feminist perspective would gather together women with different positions and backgrounds to raise awareness on the development, use and implications of biotechnologies. We would like Wombit to generate a common ground of concern and discussion becoming a crucial moment of debate, networking and exchange. Our ambition is to step further to bridge the communication gap among science and feminism and among different feminist approaches to science and, in particular, to biotechnologies. It’s worth to mention that women scientists are poorly involved into decision making processes in science. The lack of power is probably contributing to the higher distrust that women have in biotechnologies that has lead to a specific cultural elaboration of feminists on this issue.

The reason of Wombit is to empower women in biotechnical research by strengthening the links with the feminist movement and, at the same time, to create a better social and political understanding of current biotechnological research. We believe that civil society, and moreover feminist thinking, should acquire legitimacy to play a conscious role in orienteering possible choices in research planning.  Wonbit aim is to be a good example of public debate for society at large.

We have defined four main areas of discussion:

 - Women scientists in academic and industrial biotechnological research
 - Bodies, cultures, scientific metaphors
 - Environmental effects of biotechnologies
 - Facing impact: society and biotechnologies

Confirmed speakers are: Laura Balbo, Amalia Bosia, Elena Cattaneo, Giovanna Di Chiro, Sylvie Coyaud, Heidi Diggelmann, Sarah Franklin, Elena Gagliasso, Wendy Harcourt, Nancy Hawkins, Teresa Rees, Quanman Rahman, Suman Sahai, Silija Samerski, Elettra Ronchi, Marsha Tyson Darling, Gillian Youngs.

As a result of the conference a common document with main points and future goals emerged from debate will be draft.

To promote women in biotechnologies and to facilitate the dialogue of women in biotechnological research and the feminist movement and society at large, a chart of recommendations addressed to policy makers and institutions will be also elaborated.