The IRIS network for full disk helioseismology: Present status of the programme

IRIS (International Research on the Interior of the Sun) is the name of a worldwide network of 8 observing stations for full disk helioseismology. The IRIS scientific community is organizing a yearly workshop in one of the 8 sites. This paper is the introduction to the proceedings of the second IRIS workshop, held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan SSR. It presents a brief history, the structure of the international cooperation, the membership rule, the list of sites and members, the scientific working teams additional structure and, as an appendix, the report of the first meeting of the IRIS Scientific Committee.