The purpose of this symposium is to bring together scientists working on continuum theories of discrete mechanical and thermodynamical systems in the realm of mathematics, theoretical and applied mechanics, physics, material science and engineering. It aims to join together the divergent languages, questions and methods developed in the respective disciplines and to stimulate broad interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and results. The main topics, discussed in the lectures, concern thermodynamics, transport theory, statistical mechanics; continuum mechanics of complex fluids and deformable solids with microstructure; continuum theory of living structures; defect dynamics, synergetics, solitons, coherent structures; dislocations and plasticity; fundamentals of fracture mechanics.