Visual analytics is an emerging research discipline aiming at making the best possible use of huge information loads in a wide variety of applications by appropriately combining the strengths of intelligent automatic data analysis with the visual perception and analysis capabilities of the human user. The major goal of visual analytics is the integration of these disciplines into visual analytics to acquire well-established and agreed upon concepts and theories, combining scientific breakthroughs in a single discipline to have a potential impact on visual analytics and vice versa. In a session at FET’11, the leaders of the thematic working groups of the recently finalised FET Open coordination action VisMaster CA presented the scientific challenges that were identified in the visual analytics research roadmap, and the connection between the various disciplines and the broader vision of visual analytics. This article contains excerpts from this research roadmap to motivate further research in this direction within FET.