After a brief review of Laser Guide Star adaptive optics, we will see together the experience and status of the current ESO LGS
facilities, already in use or planned to be installed next year for the Adaptive Optics Facility on the VLT.

We will also review the rationale for the needed R&D efforts to mature the LGS
technologies, so that the use of LGS-AO can become routine at major observatories,
and not an exceptional enterprise.

To perform the R&D necessary ESO has built a transportable laser guide star system, called 'Wendelstein', which is planned to be used for a number of experiments.
The Wendelstein LGS system will be described and the possibility of a joint collaboration
with IAC for some of the R&D LGS experiments will be illustrated.