The research in the design of new membrane materials and their manufacture is considered as one the most direct and effective approaches to solve current issues related to energy production, separation of chemicals or environment protection. In this respect, the treatment/abatement, separation/purification/detection and/or filtration of gases, vapors and liquids are the key elements for the deployment of emerging membrane technologies into different application fields, and possibly at large scales. For these applications, one can employ macro-, meso-, micro-porous or dense membranes having specific characteristics for the transport of selected fluids and required physico-chemical stability. In addition, they can also feature tuned catalytic, adsorption or electrochemical properties attained by an appropriate conception or functionalization of the membrane material. In this context, considering various industrial and societal needs, the ongoing research is typically oriented towards the development of original membranes with regard to their architecture, type of the material or synthesis strategies. To address this complex subject, at the Institut Européen des Membranes, the synthesis of new types of membranes based ceramic, polymer, hybrid or composite materials is thoroughly studied by applying new concepts and reaction pathways to ensure a formation of stable and performable membrane materials. In this presentation different synthesis approaches involving solvothermal conversion, application of supercritical CO2, microwaves, atomic layer deposition, and the effects of confinement will be discussed in details. Particular attention will be devoted to membranes based on zeolites and Metal Organic Frameworks in terms of their potential for the separation, detection or extraction applications.