The last 20 years have been rich in results which have improved our understanding of the pharmacological basis of anti-infective drugs. This progress has permitted better use of this class of drugs, thus improving clinical outcome and reducing both the emergence and the incidence of resistance. However, the data obtained are still available mainly to a few experts from a limited number of institutions. The aim of the International Society of Chemotherapy (ISC), Federation of European Societies for Chemotherapy and for Infections (FESCI) and the Italian Society of Chemotherapy (SIC) is to expand basic and applied knowledge in this area of antimicrobial agents.