Foreword B. Lindman.- Introduction Challenges and opportunities in building a multinational, interdisciplinary research and education network on polysaccharides. Julie Navard, Patrick Navard.- Chapter 1 Etymology of main polysaccharide names. Pierre Avenas.- Chapter 2 Polysaccharides: molecular and supermolecular structures. Terminology. Thomas Heinze, Katrin Petzold-Welcke, Jan E.G. van Dam.- Chapter 3 Chemical characterisation of polysaccharides. Axel Russler, Anna Bogolitsyna, Gerhard Zuckerstatter, Antje Potthast, Thomas Rosenau.- Chapter 4 Preparation and properties of cellulose solutions. Patrick Navard, Frank Wendler, Frank Meister, Maria Bercea, Tatiana Budtova.- Chapter 5 Cellulose products from solutions: film, fibres an aerogels. Frank Wendler, Thomas Schulze, D. Ciechanska Ewa Wesolowska, Dariusz Wawro, Frank Meister, Tatiana Budtova, Falk Liebner Chapter 6 Polysaccharide fibres in textiles. Fras Zemljic Lidija, Hribernik Silvo, Manian Avinash P., Ozturk Hale Bahar, Persin Zdenka, Sfiligoj Smole Majda, Stana Kleinscheck Karin, Bechtold Thomas, Siroka Barbora, Siroky Jan.- Chapter 7 Cellulose and other polysaccharides surface properties and their characterisation. Karin Stana-Kleinschek, Heike M.A. Ehmann, Stefan Spirk, Ales Doliska, Hubert Fasl, Lidija Fras-Zemjlic, Rupert Kargl, Tamilselvan Mohan, Doris Breitwieser, Volker Ribitsch.- Chapter 8 Pulp fibres for papermaking and cellulose dissolution. Pedro Fardim, Tim Liebert, Thomas Heinze.- Chapter 9 Cellulose: chemistry of cellulose derivatisation. T. Heinze, A. Koschella, T. Liebert, V. Harabagiu, S. Coseri.- Chapter 10 Chitin and chitosan as functional biopolymers for industrial applications. I. Kardas, M.H. Struszczyk, M. Kucharska, L.A.M. van den Broek, J.E.G. van Dam, D. Ciechanska.- Chapter 11 Polysaccharide acting enzymes and their applications A. Koivula, S. Voutilainen, J. Pere, K. Kruus, A. Suurnakki, L.A.M. van den Broek, Robert Bakker, Steef Lips.