Neutron-based techniques, including diffraction, small angle scattering, inelastic scattering, radiography, reflectivity, among others, have contributed strongly to some of the most serious challenges society is facing, such as agriculture, earth sciences, energy, environment, heritage, information technology, medicine and nanotechnology. Much of the development of neutron sciences around the globe has been led by materials scientists and condensed matter physicists attracted by the neutron sensitivity to nuclear and magnetic structure, correlation and dynamics, as well as its complementarity with respect to x-rays. In the regional setting, the ongoing RMB (Reator Multipropósito Brasileiro) and RA-10 enterprises to build new research reactors in Brazil and Argentina open a window of opportunities for the development of a robust neutron users community in the region. In this symposium, experts will review the properties of free neutrons that make them suitable for research on materials, and present contemporary examples of applications of neutron-based techniques to materials science problems.