[en] Significant advances in the understanding of the nucleon spin structure and the structure of heavy nuclei are possible if they are studied in future using deep inelastic scattering with a high luminosity a collider. Compared to fixed target experiments, a collider allows access to higher √s, and also allows access to target fragments to be accessed with a suitably designed detector. This paper describes the status and the physics prospects of one such proposal, the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), presently being considered in the US