The seminar Recent Trends 2008 is the eleventh in a series of meetings held by Institute of Scientific Instruments ASCR. The first meeting was held in 1989, the second one, in 1990, was held there as well. The following seminars were organized biannually in Skalský dvůr near Brno. This conference is intended for discussion of questions connected with the intrumentation and methodology in charged particle optics and surface physics. Selected themes were introduced by top specialists with emphasis on questions already recognized but not as yet fully answered. and Filip Mika.