Beams may be viewed as directed and focussed flow of energy and information, carried by particles and electromagnetic radiation fields (i.e. photons). Often, they are brought into interaction with each other (e.g. in high energy colliders) or with other forms of matter (e.g. in fixed target physics, synchrotron radiation sciences, neutron scattering experiments, laser chemistry and physics, medical therapy, etc.). The whole art and science of beams revolve around the fundamental quest for, and ultimate implementation of, mechanisms of production, storage, control and observation of beams—always directed towards studies of the basic structures and processes of the natural world and various practical applications. Tremendous progress has been made in all aspects of beam physics and technology in the last decades—nonlinear dynamics, superconducting magnets and radio frequency cavities, beam instrumentation and control, novel concepts and collider paradigms, to name a few. We will illustrate this progress via a few examples and remark on the emergence of new collider scenarios where some of these progress might come to use—the Gamma‐Gamma Collider, the Muon Collider, laser acceleration, etc. We will close with an outline of future opportunities and outlook. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.