Since 1972, scientists from all over the world working on fundamental questions of echinoderm biology and palaeontology have conferred every three years to exchange current views and results. The 11th International Echinoderm Conference held at the University of Munich, Germany, from 6-10 October 2003,continued this tradition. This volume comprises 95 submitted papers and 96 abstracts covering a wide spectrum from innovative student contributions to the lessons learnt from experienced specialists. The content of the contributions ranges from original research results to the latest synopses concerning a variety of topics, including visual sensing, larval cloning, mutable collagenous tissues, sea urchin aqua-culture, deuterostome phylogeny, palaeobiology and taphonomy.