A whole semester dedicated to the field of Kinetic Theory is to be held at CIRM-Luminy, as part of the Jean-Morlet Chair in mathematics. The holders are Shi Jin from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Mihai Bostan from Aix-Marseille University. This program consists of one large conference covering kinetic theory from modeling, analysis, computation to applications ; one workshop on numerical methods with main applications in plasmas ; and one research school on analysis and computation of N-body particle systems and mean-field limits. Kinetic theory is at the core of partial differential equations, mathematical physics, and multiscale computations. It has a wide range of applications from rarefied gas, astrophysics, plasmas, to material sciences, biology and social sciences. France plays a leading role in the world in developing the field of kinetic theory, while one also sees increasing research activities and emerging young researchers in other countries - China, the US, and of course in Europe.