Disk research in the era of the VLT will profit from the high angular resolution and high dynamic range made available from interferometry, adaptive optics and the sensitivity made possible by large collecting areas. Significant advances are likely to come from the unique aspects of the VLT: the VLT interferometer (VLTI) and thermal infrared observations with large, adaptively corrected apertures. High angular resolution will allow mapping of the inner regions of disks, revealing the presence of gaps cleared by orbiting planets and the surface density of small particles, either nascent (for young disks) or produced by the grinding of larger bodies in the older disks. High sensitivity at thermal infrared (10 & 20 μm) wavelengths will make it possible to search for disks around intermediate-aged and older stars and to study the surface brightness of particle emission within a few tenths AU of nearby stars.