The FKA conference is held biannually alternating between Vienna and Chemnitz. It has a very strong interdisciplinary character with the focus on scientific exchange between analytical-methodological developments and scientific-technological problem solving covering all fields of research on solids by invited and contributed lectures as well as poster presentations. This broad range of topics combined with the intimate character of the conference has made FKA very unique and appreciated in the scientific community for many decades in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but also among participants from neighboring countries.