Book excerpt: I express my sincere gratitude to NATO Science Committee for granting me the financial award to organize and direct the Advanced Research Workshop on "MULTILAYERED and FIBRE-REINFORCED COMPOSITES: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS" that was held in Kiev, Ukraine, during the period of June 2 - 6, 1997, in collaboration with Professor S. A. Firstov of the Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science, National Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine. In this context I wish to convey special thanks to Dr. J. A. Raussell-Colom, NATO Programme Director for Priority Area on High Technology, for his kind efforts and continuous guidance in the course of organizing the Workshop. I appreciate sincerely the opportunity of working closely with Professor Firstov and acknowledge with deep gratitude his outstanding contribution in co-directing the Workshop. I wish to express my special thanks to Dr. N. Orlovskaya of the Frantsevich Institute, for her outstanding contribution towards both the organization and conduct of the Workshop. I wish to convey my sincere thanks to Professor V. V. Skorohord, Deputy Director of the Frantsevich Institute, on behalf of the same Institute, for hosting the Workshop and welcoming the participants to l{iev. The very kind efforts of the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee, the Local Organizing Committee and the Staff of the Frantsevich Institute towards the organization and conduct of the Workshop, are gratefully appreciated. I convey my full indebtedness to all researchers who participated in the Workshop.