The Beams Department is at the heart of the CERN accelerator complex.  
 
Whether it is the design of new accelerators and facilities, the responsibility for construction of key components or the exploitation of the whole complex and technical infrastructure, the BE team plays a key role in providing the world class scientific instruments needed by the Physics community. 
 
Accelerators are living things and are continuously developed throughout their lifetimes.  This includes improving our understanding of the underlying accelerator physics, the construction and installation of new accelerator components to enhance the capabilities of the machine and new methods and processes for the operation of the machines in ways and at levels that were not necessarily thought of when the machines were originally designed. The upgrades of the existing complex form a significant part of the departmental activities. 
 
The time-scale for new energy-frontier machines is very long.  LHC itself took 25 years from first conception to first beam and will be exploited for another 25 years.  Studies are now underway for the next generation of machines based on the requirements coming from the Particle Physics community.  The BE Department plays a crucial role in the basic accelerator designs as well as R&D to meet the tremendous technical end engineering challenges the construction of such facilities would entail.