The EMBO Workshop on Glycoscience and Development, organised by Philippe Delannoy, Yann Guérardel, Tony Merry and Jean-Claude Michalski, was held in the picturesque, contemplative environment of Les Minimes, a converted seventeenth century Flemish convent in Lille, France, in December 2007. A cross-section of researchers, both confirmed ;glycomaniacs' and those newer to the field, discussed and debated recent advances in the field of glycobiology. Presentations ranged from the clinical applications of glycobiology to novel approaches for unravelling carbohydrate biosynthesis in developmental settings and models, such as the fruit fly, nematode and zebrafish.