Grid computing is an emerging technology that enables large-scale resource sharing and coordinated problem solving within distributed, often loosely coordinated groups-what are sometimes termed "virtual organizations. By providing scalable, secure, high-performance mechanisms for discovering and negotiating access to remote resources, Grid technologies promise to make it possible for scientific collaborations to share resources on an unprecedented scale, and for geographically distributed groups to work together in ways that were previously impossible. Similar technologies are being adopted within industry, where they serve as important building blocks for emerging service provider infrastructures.

Even though the advantages of this technology for classes of applications have been acknowledged, research in a variety of disciplines, including not only multiple domains of computer science (networking, middleware, programming, algorithms) but also application disciplines themselves, as well as such areas as sociology and economics, is needed to broaden the applicability and scope of the current body of knowledge.