An Overview of Enhanced Modal Identification -- The Reciprocity Gap Functional for Identifying Defects and Cracks -- Some innovative industrial prospects centered on inverse analyses -- Identification of damage in beam and plate structures using parameter dependent modal changes and thermographic methods -- Crack and Flaw Identification in Statics and Dynamics, using Filter Algorithms and Soft Computing -- Application of Advanced Optimization Techniques to Parameter and Damage Identification Problems -- Neural Networks in the Identification Analysis of Structural Mechanics Problems.The nature and the human creations are full of complex phenomena, which sometimes can be observed but rarely follow our hypotheses. The best we can do is to build a parametric model and then try to adjust the unknown parameters based on the available observations. This topic, called parameter identification, is discussed in this book for materials and structures. The present volume of lecture notes follows a very successful advanced school, which we had the honor to coordinate in Udine, October 6-10, 2003. The authors of this volume present a wide spectrum of theories, methods and applications related to inverse and parameter identification problems. We thank the invited lecturers and the authors of this book for their contributions, the participants of the course for their active participation and the interesting discussions as well as the people of CISMfor their hospitality and their well-known professional help. Zenon Mroz Georgios E. Stavroulakis CONTENTS Preface An overview of enhanced modal identification by L. Bolognini 1 The reciprocity gap functional for identifying defects and cracks by H. D. Bui, A. Constantinescu and H. Maigre 17 Some innovative industrial prospects centered on inverse analyses by G. Maier, M. Bocciarelli andR. Fedele 55 Identification of damage in beam and plate structures using parameter dependent modal changes and thermographic methods by Z. Mroz andK. Dems 95 Crack and flaw identification in statics and dynamics, using filter algorithms and soft computing by G. E, Stavroulakis, M. Engelhardt andH.