EGEE-II will manage, extend and consolidate the infrastructure, to link national, regional and thematic Grid efforts and provide interoperability with other Grids, establishing a worldwide Grid infrastructure. Built on the pan-European research network GEANT2, the EGEE Grid provides researchers with round-the-clock access to a common pool of major storage, compute and networking facilities, independent of geographic location. The resulting high capacity infrastructure greatly surpasses the capabilities of local clusters and individual centres, providing a unique tool for collaborative compute-intensive science (e-Science).

User specific services from other projects and sources will be integrated in EGEE-II's existing open source middleware to further increase the functionality, security and ease-of-use. As the European flagship RI Grid project, EGEE-II will have a structuring effect through its role as a coordination body for related Grid projects, reducing the digital divide across European states and actively participating in developing Grid standards. EGEE-II will pave the way for a long-term sustainable Grid infrastructure to ensure the resources and knowledge developed during EGEE and EGEE-II are available to researchers in Europe and beyond in years to come.