The forest-based sector includes all stakeholders with a major interest in forestry, forest-based materials and products. It also provides essential products and services for a more sustainable society. It accounts for 8% of manufacturing added value in the EU, using a renewable and continuously growing forest resource, counting 16 million private forest owners and providing nearly four million jobs. FTP provides a forum for European forest owners, companies, researchers, regulators and financial institutions to work together in support of the development of new forest management schemes, products, services and business models. To achieve significant breakthroughs through innovation, the sector needs access to financial capacity and basic scientific knowledge that is rarely available within one organisation or company. A critical mass of skills and resources is needed to break down barriers to innovation. Creating this critical mass is one of the prime purposes of the FTP. In common with the Technology Platforms for other sectors, FTP is charged with defining a strategic Vision Document on behalf of the sector and agreeing on research priorities, set out in a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRA). These priorities help inform EU research funding programmes, which in turn will support the implementation of the SRA, along with other sources of public and private funding.