The argument that well-characterised quasi-monoenergetic neutron (QMN) sources reaching into the energy domain >20 MeV are needed is presented. A brief overview of the existing facilities is given, and a list of key factors that an ideal QMN source for dosimetry and spectrometry should offer is presented. The authors conclude that all of the six QMN facilities currently in existence worldwide operate in sub-optimal conditions for dosimetry. The only currently available QMN facility in Europe capable of operating at energies >40 MeV, TSL in Uppsala, Sweden, is threatened with shutdown in the immediate future. One facility, NFS at GANIL, France, is currently under construction. NFS could deliver QMN beams up to about 30 MeV. It is, however, so far not clear if and when NFS will be able to offer QMN beams or operate with only so-called white neutron beams. It is likely that by 2016, QMN beams with energies >40 MeV will be available only in South Africa and Japan, with none in Europe.Neutron sources are used and neutron radiation fields are generated in various scientific research areas and applications. Examples include radiation therapy, radionuclide production, material science studies, design of electronic components and energy production. High-energy neutrons are the dominant component of the prompt radiation field present outside the shielding of high-energy accelerators and are a significant component of the cosmic radiation fields in aircraft and in spacecraft. In radiotherapy using highenergy medical accelerators, high-energy neutrons are a secondary component of the fields in the beam delivery system and in the patient's body. The energy range of neutrons in these fields extends from thermal energies to several GeV. High-energy neutron fields are gaining more attention owing to the increasing number of high-energy accelerators in research and medicine, and the special consideration given to the occupational exposure to cosmic radiation. In order to study the physics of neutron interactions in these applications, in particular concerning dosimetry, radiation protection monitoring of workplaces, and radiation effects in electronics, especially those used in aircraft and in spacecraft, well-characterised neutron fields for high energies are needed.In medical applications, using high-energy photons and ion beams for cancer treatment, one must consider the contribution of secondary neutrons to organs in the human body outside the target area (1,2) .The neutron exposure of staff has to be included in the design and operation of the facility: the contribution of fast neutrons outside of the shielding was for a long time underestimated. In the environment outside the primary beam the neutron contribution to human radiation exposure can dominate, and neutrons with energies .10-20 MeV account for up to 50 % of the ambient dose equivalent. Dosimetry for exposures to cosmic radiation in aircraft is specified in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, see for example ref. (3), and a compilation ...