The Developmental Biology of the Sea Urchin and other Marine Invertebrates (DBSUMI) provides a forum for the international community of developmental, cell, ecological, and evolutionary biologists who use marine invertebrates as research models. DBSUMI meetings feature topics relevant to a broad range of biologists working on subjects ranging from gamete interactions, egg activation, cell fate determination and patterning, axis specification, gene expression, genomics, morphogenesis, cell signaling, evolution, ecology, immunology, neurogenesis, regeneration and experimental technology.  The DBSUMI meetings have an overarching emphasis on gene regulatory network (GRN) - level analyses of developmental and evolutionary processes.  While many fundamental aspects of GRN biology were established in sea urchin embryos, they are broadly applicable to many biological questions and systems.  Thus, the DBSUMI community is actively working diversify the “sea urchin” meeting to include participation of researchers who specialize in other marine invertebrate systems, such as other echinoderms, tunicates, hemichordates, cephalochordates, molluscs, polychaetes, cnidarians, ctenophores, sponges, and many more.