The Grid is a rapidly developing computing structure that allows components of our information technology infrastructure, computational capabilities, databases, sensors, and people to be shared flexibly as true collaborative tools. Over the last 3 years there has been a real explosion of new theory and technological progress supporting a better understanding of these wide-area, fully distributed computing systems. After the advances made in distributed system design, collaborative environments, high performance computing and high throughput computing, the Grid is the logical next step.

The new Aims and Scope of FGCS will cover new developments in:

[1] Grid Applications and application support:
- Novel applications
- eScience and eBusiness applications
- Problem solving environments and virtual laboratories
- Grid economy
- Semantic and knowledge based grids
- Collaborative Grids and virtual organizations
- High Performance and high throughput computing on grids
- Complex application workflows
- Scientific, industrial and social implications
- Grids in education

[2] Grid methods and middleware:
- Tools for grid development: monitoring and scheduling
- Distributed dynamic resource management
- Grid- and web-services
- Information management
- Protocols and emerging standards
- Peer to peer and internet computing
- Pervasive computing
- Grid Security

[3] Grid Theory:
- Process specification; program and algorithm design
- Theoretical aspects of wide area communication and computation
- Scaling and performance theory
- Protocol verification