Book excerpt: Today's frustrations and anxieties resulting from two energy crises in only one decade, show us the problems and fragility of a world built on high energy consumption, accustomed to the use of cheap non-renewable energy and to the acceptance of eXisting imbalances between the resources and demands of countries. Despite all these stressing factors, our world is still hesitatins about the urgency of undertaking new and decisive research that could stabilize our future, Could this trend change in the near future? In our view, two different scenarios are possible. A renewed energy tension could take place with an unpredictable timing mostly related to political and economic factors, This could bring again scientists and technologists to a new state of shock and awaken our talents, A second interesting and beneficial scenario could result from the positive influence of a new generation of researchers that with or without immediate crisis, acting both in industry and academia, will face the challenge of developing technologies and processes to pave the way to a less vulnerable society, Because Chemical Reactor Design and Technology activities are at the heart of these required new technologies the timeliness of the NATO-Advanced Study Institute at the University of Western Ontario, London, was very appropriate.