SCELSE research focuses on the universality of microbial biofilm communities. Unravelling microbial biodiversity and function in complex microbial communities enables SCELSE researchers to identify key mechanisms involved in biofilm biology. SCELSE is deciphering the biology of microbial biofilm communities in environmental and engineered systems. Importantly, the use of new molecular tools (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) for prospecting biofilms will demonstrate communal metabolic capacity and diversity, far surpassing the combined activities of individual member species. Moreover, obtaining high-resolution information from huge multi-layered databases, now possible through significant advances in analytical, bio-informatics, and bio-computational tools, will facilitate our understanding of community behaviour in complex natural and engineered habitats.