This publication presents the state of the art in the development and application of various accelerator based real time techniques to materials investigation. It reports examples of multidisciplinary scientific topics and challenges where application of accelerator based methods would bring significant benefits in terms of research data and further understanding of the scientific issues. The research activities that can profit from real time material characterizations using synchrotron radiation, neutron, ion and electron beams, and simultaneous combinations of different techniques are also briefly discussed. A recurrent theme emerging from the presented papers is that further work is needed to develop more robust and longer working life materials for energy applications.
