The symposium will cover the causes of long-term solar variability from the dynamo mechanism, irradiance variations, solar atmospheric processes, and the manifestations of this variability in the heliosphere and Earth. The pathways through which solar forcing influence the Earth's upper atmosphere and climate will be assessed. Allied topics would include solar-stellar connection, geomagnetic activity, cosmic-ray modulation, cloud nucleation and a critical assessment of solar variability inputs in climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Space missions and data resources relevant for space climate research will also be discussed. A special focus of this symposium will be on the unusually long minimum of solar cycle 23, its consequences and whether it can throw light on the "minimum ground-state" of solar magnetic activity. A mix of keynote, invited and contributed talks is envisaged, in addition to a panel discussion on the solar minimum.