Rather than a summary of the conference, I present here an overview of the status of the field and our progress over the last two decades from the points of view of astronomy, molecular physics, spectroscopy, and astrochemistry. While at first sight, progress may seem slow, actually, we have made an important stride forward. We have recognized now that the problem is very complex and identifying the carriers of the Diffuse Interstellar Bands will require a concerted effort of astronomers, molecular physicists, spectroscopists, and astrochemists. While this is a daunting prospect, we have identified the tools that we need to make this happen.

Infrared spectroscopic observations of planetary nebulae and proto-planetary nebulae have shown that complex organic compounds are synthesized in these objects over periods as short as a thousand years. These compounds are ejected into the interstellar medium and spread throughout the Galaxy. Evidence from meteorites has shown that these stellar grains have reached the Solar System, and may have showered the Earth during the heavy bombardment stage of the Early Earth. In this paper, we discuss the chemical structure of stellar organic grains and compare them to the organic matter found in meteorites, comets, asteroids, planetary satellites, and interplanetary particles. The possibility that the early Solar System was chemically enriched by organic compounds ejected from distant stars is presented.