Dear Colleagues

        Workshop on Grand Challenges in Computing Research
        Edinburgh, 24-26 November 2002

We are keen that all UK computing researchers know about this
opportunity to make a personal contribution to imaginative thinking
about the long-term future of computing research in this country and
world-wide.

Below is the Call for Submissions, both in plain and as a Word document.
We have extended our deadline for submissions; we are now asking for
submissions (which should be 1000-1500 words, in plain text or other
format) by 22 OCTOBER.  They should be sent by email to Mrs Peta
Walmisley, [log in to unmask], with a copy to [log in to unmask] and
[log in to unmask]  Early submission will help the Committee and is welcome.

The call makes clear how we intend to run the workshop. We would also
like to emphasise that the final report will be a consensus of
participants, and that we hope this new initiative will be the first
of a series -- every few years -- that will review the Challenges.  We
think of this as a fine chance to increase the general understanding
of our subject and where it is going; we hope that you will share our
belief that this is profoundly important, both intellectually and
socially.

Tony Hoare
Robin Milner

                        CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS.

         WORKSHOP ON GRAND CHALLENGES FOR COMPUTING RESEARCH

DATES:   24-26 November 2002.
PLACE: National E-science Centre, Edinburgh.
SPONSOR: the UK Computing Research Committee, with support from EPSRC.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 22 October 2002 (extended from 30 September).

PROGRAMME COMMITTEE: Tony Hoare, Malcolm Atkinson (joint organisers),
Alan Bundy, Robin Milner, John McDermid, Johanna Moore, Tom Rodden,
Jon Crowcroft, Martyn Thomas.

PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP: to draft a report that describes a range of
generally accepted long-term and large-scale challenges for computing
research in the twenty first century.  The challenges will be grouped
and classified, and a preliminary assessment will be made of their
maturity according to criteria described below.  The report will be
made available on the Web with a request for comment and suggestions
for improvement or extension by the computing research community.  The
final report will be submitted to the sponsors of the workshop, to
help achieve their goal of the advancement of computing research in
UK.

SUBMISSIONS: All computing researchers in UK are invited to submit a
position paper of between a thousand words and fifteen hundred words,
raising issues to be considered for inclusion in the final report.
The aim is to inspire imaginative 'out-of-the-box' thinking about the
future progress of our subject, untrammelled by the constraints of
historical legacy, commercial application, or shortness of timescale.
Submissions should be sent by email to Mrs Peta Walmisley,
[log in to unmask] (copy to [log in to unmask] and
[log in to unmask]).

The Programme Committee has drafted guidelines on the nature of a
grand challenge, the criteria for its maturity, and an account of the
background to the workshop.  It has also composed a set of sample
submissions in a somewhat uniform format. This material can be seen at
our Grand Challenges web site:

  http://umbriel.dcs.gla.ac.uk/NeSC/general/esi/events/Grand_Challenges/

Submissions which support, supplement or criticise the guidelines, the
criteria or the samples, will be very welcome.  Also welcome will be
joint submissions, with authors spanning more than one branch of
computer science.

INVITATIONS TO PARTICIPATE: Participation in the Workshop will be by
invitation only, based the submission of the position papers.  The
number of invitations will be restricted to permit constructive
discussions and an effective outcome.  Submitters are asked to
indicate whether they would be free to attend, if invited.

An edited and selected collection of submissions will be made
available to be read by all participants two weeks before the
conference.  There will be no presentation of the submissions at the
workshop.  The participants should expect to contribute to the
restructuring or redrafting of submissions made by others for
inclusion in the final report.  The whole of the final report should
represent a consensus of all participants.