With exact solutions out of reach, the objective of our ‘Physics of Correlated Matter’ department is to find smart approximations by which we can capture the essential ‘physics’ to describe the ‘correlated’ motion of the electrons in such materials. It may very well be that we need to develop and use different approximations for different materials or properties. In order to probe these materials and properties the research activities of our department are focussed on the investigation of the electronic structure of the materials, using both spectroscopic tools as well as material specific many body calculations. This combined experimental and theoretical work is essential to identify the most suited approximation. The experimental activities have also a strong material development component: new materials, both in bulk as well as in thin film form, are synthesized in order to tune the relative strength of the relevant interactions. Guided by the smart approximations developed, we aim to optimize the properties for applications and we hope to even discover new phenomena.