Mesoporous titania with high surface area and uniform pore size distribution was synthesized using surfactant templating method through a neutral [C-13(EO)(6)-Ti(OC3H7)(4)] assembly pathway. The different gold content (1-5 wt.%) was supported on the mesoporous titania by deposition-precipitation (DP) method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, TEM, SEM, N-2 adsorption analysis and TPR. The catalytic activity of gold supported mesoporous titania was evaluated for the first time in water-gas shift reaction (WGSR). The influence of gold content and particle size on the catalytic performance was investigated. The catalytic activity was tested at a wide temperature range (140-300 degreesC) and at different space velocities and H2O/CO ratios. It is clearly revealed that the mesoporous titania is of much interest as potential support for gold-based catalyst. The gold/mesoporous titania catalytic system is found to be effective catalyst for WGSR. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.