The 2008 Royal Aeronautical Society annual Applied Aerodynamics Research Conference will provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of aspects of the aerodynamics of novel configurations, covering both the research and the applications it might benefit. It is intended that the conference will provide an opportunity to raise the profile of the challenges ahead and to highlight some of the technologies that will be required to ensure cost effective solutions for the development of competitive air platforms in a global market, while meeting the increasingly demanding exigencies implied by environmental considerations.