Bacterial biofilms provide a primordial example of “optional” multicellularity where individual bacteria switch from a solitary lifestyle to an organized division of labor. Their formation, development and disassembly offer an exciting common ground for a diverse community of scientists looking at biofilms in profoundly different ways. Depending on the context, biofilms may be regarded as differentiated communities of cells; active soft matter; solutions to partial differential equations; deadly causes of nosocomial infections or promising new technology for water filtration and a lot more. These very different points of view are beginning to merge as a comprehensive understanding of how biofilms function is desperately needed to advance fundamental and applied research in this field. 

An important goal of this summer school is to bring together biologists, mathematicians, physicists and engineers interested in understanding biofilms from a broad range of perspectives. Ample space for discussion will be provided to connect young and established researchers in this community and to encourage informal exchange between speakers and participants. Short courses will start at the tutorial level and open to the state of the art in various aspects of theoretical and experimental biofilm research. The format of the school will provide opportunities to give and obtain feedback and we urge all speakers and participants to stay for the entire week to generate a collaborative atmosphere, potentially fostering new exciting collaborations.