The International Topical Meeting on Irradiation Technology took place two the Neutron and its Applications (Cambridge, weeks after the Conference on th U. K.) marking the 50 anniversary of the discovery of the neutron. The application of neutrons from research reactors for materials testing requires a large variety of irradiation devices (vehicles) and their out-of-pile control and recording equipment. The in-pile sections are sophisticated in design and assem­ bly, expensive, and consumable. There have been only a few international con­ ferences on irradiation testing, the last one being limited to fast breeder reactor work (Jackson, Wyoming, September 1973). In 1982, however, two conferences picked up similar topics -the ANS Conference on Fast, Thermal, and Fusion Reactor Experiments (Salt Lake City, Utah, April 1982), -the Grenoble meeting (these proceedings). Overlapping has been avoided by putting the accent of the U.S. conference on fast reactor work, and on thermal reactor experiments at Grenoble. Put to­ gether, both conferences ligned up more than 130 papers in this very specialised field, demonstrating a high level of technological development as opposed to a decreasing number of large materials testing reactors available. The editors wish to acknowledge the flawless organisation of the meeting by CEN de Grenoble and the personal commitment of CEN staff to its success. Special thanks go to F. Merchie andJ.F. Veyrat of the Service des Piles. P. von der Hardt H. R6ttger XIII P. von der Hardt and H. Rottger (eds.), Irradiation Technology, xiii.