The determination and interpretation of the nucleon transverse spin structure and its related observables has become a key issue in studies of the leading quark structure of the nucleon. Measurements of transverse spin distributions, or transversity distributions, provide new information on the dynamics of quarks inside hadrons and enable the study of the validity of as yet untested Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) predictions: i) The tensor charge (the lowest moment of the transversity distribution) is predicted to be much larger than the axial charge (the lowest moment of the helicity distribution). ii) The Q2 evolution of the transversity distribution is much weaker than the Q2 evolution of the helicity distribution. Both predictions are counter-intuitive, and the confirmation of the first prediction would provide one of the first sucessful tests of QCD in the non-perturbative domain. The workshop is focused on the study of transverse spin distributions and the corresponding fragmentation functions. The workshop is timely, as first measurements of these distribution functions have recently started at the COMPASS experiment at CERN and the HERMES experiment at DESY. In both cases hadrons produced in semi-inclusive deep inelastic lepton scattering are detected and identified. By measuring the asymmetries of the produced hadrons with respect to the relative spin orientation of beam and target as a function of the azimuthal angle, information on transversity is obtained. Now that first data taking periods have been successfully concluded, it is expected that first official results on this new leading order structure functions are presented at the Workshop. At the same time first single spin asymmetry data are available from the RHIC spin collaboration, which provides very valuable complementary data on the various processes involved. For a proper interpretation of these data, it is crucial that these measurements are accompanied by theoretical investigations of the azimuthal spin asymmetries for both longitudinally and transversely polarized targets. These theoretical developments will be discussed at the workshop as well, and be confronted with the first experimental results. The complexity of the task of mapping out transversity and other chirally-odd and time-reversal-odd functions requires the interplay of various complementary measurements. It calls for a precision study of several measurable asymmetries and, in particular, of their behaviour over a wide range of kinematical observables. It is the purpose of the proposed workshop to bring together leading experimentalists and theorists to discuss the first data obtained and confront them with theoretical ideas. Also young researchers (PhD students and postdocs) who are actively involved in this newly emerging field are actively encouraged to participate in the workshop and the discussions.
	Topics: First measurements of transversity Properties of transverse spin distributions Chiral odd distribution and fragmentation functions Single-spin asymmetries Alternative approaches to transversity Theoretical and experimental perspectiveserspectives