The aim of this workshop is to bring together researchers working in the areas of virtual research environments¹ (VREs) and collaborative work environments (CWEs). Both concepts are characterised as providing consistent and dependable work environments for particular kinds of work organisation, emphasising the dynamic establishment of collaborative work contexts between independent partners. Further aspects such as the mobility of work activities and requirements such as security and confidentiality also play a role in both concepts. Despite these similarities, it would seem that the development of research programmes and the establishment of research communities within these fields has to date progressed independently. As a consequence, there is a danger of wasteful duplication of effort, conceptual divergence and technical incompatibility. The workshop�s aim is to address these concerns by soliciting contributions from the research community dealing with topics such as (link).