ISBE report summarising the conclusions of a full debate on the merits of a new European systems biology society.

The aim of the activities described in this document is to discuss within the community,whether demand exists for a new European Systems Biology (SB) society and to address the following questions:

• Would there be value for a single European voice for lobbying funding agencies?
• Or for lobbying national regulatory agencies, to standardise rules and  regulations across Europe?
• Or alternatively, the International Society for Systems Biology (ISSB) can already fulfil these roles?

In order to address these questions, ISBE -WP5 has established a dialogue with the community using different means: a survey and a debate platform on the community website. Additionally, ISBE-WP5 has discussed the possible involvement in providing a solution to the needs of the European Systems Biology community.