Bacillus subtilis is one of the most researched micro-organisms. It is not only a well studied model organism but is used also in numerous industrial, agricultural and health and nutritional applications.The programme of the symposium will focus on current advances in the science and research of Bacillus subtilis and sporeformer bacteria.Further to new insights into cell and spore structure, current advances in the isolation, characterization, functional genomics, metabolomics, production and application of Bacillus subtilis and sporeformers will be presented and discussed by internationally renowned experts from industry and academia.Further to its scientific content the symposium is a networking event. Abstracts of oral presentations and posters will be published in the official proceedings of IPC2010.