The project concerning the reading and interpretation of runic inscriptions was a theoretical and methodological undertaking pertaining to the very foundation of runology. The purpose was to chart and describe the core functions of this field of endeavour, namely the study of runes and runic inscriptions. The goal was to produce a Handbook of Runology, a volume that would provide a solid basis for future runological research. It was to be a work that newcomers could use as a textbook, that established members of the community could consult for reference and even in-depth study, and that outsiders could peruse in order to acquire a better understanding of work in the field.
Although runes and runic inscriptions provide the earliest records of Germanic languages and constitute very important sources for Scandinavian and pan-Germanic cultural history from the second century A.D. up to the Reformation, and even beyond, the number of practising runologists is relatively small. Little structured education in the field is offered anywhere, and most practitioners are more or less self-taught. Due to the variety of their backgrounds and the material with which they work, runologists have developed different runological skills. Some have their strengths in the reading of rune-stone inscriptions, others in the examination and documentation of inscriptions on wood or metal. The forte of yet others lies in the interpretation of runic texts, in identifying personal or place-names, etc. By assembling some ten leading runic scholars at CAS and setting as their task the codification of their knowledge and proficiencies, we hoped to create a strong and lasting product. Efforts were to be concentrated on the Handbook, but individual topics were intended to generate spin-offs in the form of scholarly articles. It was obvious that other scholars would have to be drawn into the project in various ways in order to cover areas in which the CAS fellows were not the leading experts.

During the course of the project, various deficiencies in runological infrastructure became more apparent, and the CAS fellows decided to contribute to improvements in various areas, in general by identifying weaknesses and then commissioning computer aids. These specifically concerned runic fonts and a computer programme tailored for the registration of graphic variation in rune forms.

After the project had been expanded from the original concept, the fellows realised that the preliminary version of the Handbook could not be completely finished and revised to a high enough standard by the termination of their stay at CAS, but would have to be worked on as an extra activity for several months thereafter.