[en] Radioactivation analysis is the technique of radioactivation analysis of the constituents of a very small sample of matter by making the sample artificially radioactive. The first stage is to make the sample radioactive by artificial means, e.g. subject it to neutron bombardment. Once the sample has been activated, or made radioactive, the next task is to analyze the radiations given off by the sample. This analysis would indicate the nature and quantities of the various elements present in the sample. The reason is that the radiation from a particular radioisotope. In 1959 a symposium on 'Radioactivation Analysis' was organized in Vienna by the IAEA and the Joint Commission on Applied Radioactivity (ICSU). It was pointed out that there are certain factors creating uncertainties and elaborated how to overcome them. Attention was drawn to the fact that radioactivation analysis had proven a powerful tool tackling fundamental problems in geo- and cosmochemistry, and a review was given of the recent work in this field. Because of its extreme sensitivity radioactivation analysis had been principally employed for trace detection and its most extensive use has been in control of semiconductors and very pure metals. An account of the experience gained in the USA was given, where radioactivation analysis was being used by many investigators in various scientific fields as a practical and useful tool for elemental analyses. Much of this work had been concerned with determining sub microgramme and microgramme concentration of many different elements in samples of biological materials, drugs, fertilizers, fine chemicals, foods, fuels, glass, ceramic materials, metals, minerals, paints, petroleum products, resinous materials, soils, toxicants, water and other materials. In addition to these studies, radioactivation analysis had been used by other investigators to determine isotopic ratios of the stable isotopes of some of the elements. Another paper dealt with radioactivation analysis in biochemistry and medicine. The simplicity, quickness, sensitivity and accuracy of the activation methods had been employed to a limited extend in dentistry, forensic medicine and cancer research. It was stated that activation analysis was not only a valuable analytical tool in the determination of traces, but was also useful in the determination of minor constituents in highly complex materials