This work analyses the current situation regarding combinatorial and high-throughput techniques in the context of heterogeneous catalysis. The different experimental (hardware) and software techniques are critically revised, giving illustrative examples of their application in the development of new catalysts, for example, the application of a novel high-throughput characterization technique based on photoluminescence measurements and the application of soft computing algorithms for intelligent experimental design. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.