The book "Smart Card Research and Advanced Applications" offers a comprehensive analysis of the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of smart cards or IC cards. These cards are not only portable but also possess remarkable processing power, making them suitable for a wide range of applications in information processing. In particular, IC cards have already proven themselves in the fields of financial services and telecommunications. However, the full potential of this technology remains largely untapped, especially in information technology and the connected economy. This collection of contributions documents the results of the fourth working conference on this topic, which took place in 2000 and was supported by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). The conference brought together professionals involved in the development and design of IC cards and related devices, highlighting the synergies between hardware engineering and tailored cryptographic applications.