Electrostatic energies are the dominant intermolecular interactions. They are responsible for polarization effects, they govern formation of hydrogen bonds, and they stabilize specific redox states, as well as tautomer and protonation patterns. They are the determinants of solvation energy for polar molecules.

Electrostatic interactions determine the secondary and tertiary structures of proteins. They are important for protein-ligand and protein-protein docking processes. They define proton and electron-transfer pathways. They play a key role in enzymatic reactions. They mediate allosteric effects by their long-range character.

Over the years enormous progress in the theoretical description of electrostatic interactions in proteins has been realized. However, an appropriate accounting for the complexity of proteins and the long-range character of these interactions remains a challenge. Hence, there is still a long way to go before the role of electrostatic interactions in proteins is fully understood.

The Protein Electrostatic 2016 meeting in Berlin will foster progress in the understanding of electrostatics in proteins. It is the continuation of the meeting on protein electrostatics in 2014, in Lisbon and the Telluride workshop series on the same topic. We would like to gather experimentalists and theoreticians working on this topic with the aim of promoting the free exchange of ideas and opinions that can provide guidance for future directions in theory and experiment. The meeting will be useful for the experts in the field from both academe and software companies. Protein Electrostatics is a modern and rapidly developing branch of biosciences. Therefore, we also encourage young scientists just beginning their careers to participate.