The European Wind Energy Technology Platform (TPWind), established in 2005, is today a well-established and broadly recognized network of approximately 150 wind energy experts, who play a key role in supporting the development of wind power in Europe.For the last three years, the costs of its Secretariat, hosted by the EWEA in Brussels, have been covered by the FP6 “Windsec” project, which was very successfully managed in partnership with Risoe/DTU and Garrad Hassan.The main aim of the TOP Wind project will be to ensure the proper functioning of the European Wind Energy Technology Platform over the 2010 – 2013 period, as well as to increase its effectiveness, impact, visibility and network (especially by reinforcing existing relationships, and developing new ones, with oil & gas, ocean and grids operators, who can cooperate with wind energy players to reduce fragmentation of EU R&D activities).Thanks to the publication in 2008 of its Strategic Research Agenda / Market Deployment Strategy, which quickly became a reference document in the wind power sector, and to its contribution to the development of the Wind Energy Roadmap (published by the EC in October 2009 in its Communication on Financing Low Carbon Technologies), the Platform is playing a central role in shaping wind energy in Europe.TOP Wind, which builds on the experience gained by partners during the implementation of the Windsec project, will therefore reinforce the Platform, streamline its activities, expand its membership base and enhance its links with all relevant stakeholders, so as to further increase the efficiency and competitiveness of research in the field of wind energy and to maximize synergies with oil & gas, grid and maritime sectors to avoid duplication of efforts.