The 18th Symposium on Chemistry Education took place at the University of Bremen in June 2006 and continued the long tradition begun in 1981 with the first symposium organized by Hans-Jürgen Schmidt. The 2006 symposium was titled "Towards Research-based Science Teacher Education”. This title simultaneously continued and developed further the topics of the 2002 and 2004 symposia, which discussed the teacher as the key factor in changing and improving classroom practices. The symposium will revealed and evaluated current research into the views and beliefs of science teachers and the development of these views through science teacher education.