This review presents the progress made over the last few years in the studies of mesoporous molecular sieves containing niobium. From among the catalytic processes in which Nb-containing materials have been tested, the liquid and gas phase oxidation is described in details. Much attention is paid to the important ability of niobium to combine with many elements and organic groups, which determines the unique properties of niobium materials. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.