The national Glycoscience Graduate School (GGS), started in 2006, is an open, interdisciplinary consortium, currently consisting of 22 research groups in 9 universities and research organizations. The area covered by GGS extends from the structural and computational modeling of glycan structures to specific chemical analysis, synthesis of glycans and glycan derivatives, biochemical interactions of carbohydrates, regulation of natural glycoconjugate synthesis, and biological influences of glycosubstances in cells and whole organisms.

An overwhelming majority of all biomass on earth belongs to carbohydrates, the structures of which are still partially unknown, despite the growing importance of these glycans as food constituents, industrial raw materials, drugs, and drug targets. GGS organizes postgraduate level, both basic and focused courses on latest techniques and biology of glycan research with top-level international teachers, supports student exchange, and subsidizes graduate student participation in international courses and conferences on carbohydrate related research. At the moment, about 34 graduate students have been registered in the school, 6 of whom receive salary from GGS.