IEA Bioenergy published its first Strategic Plan in 1995. This was seen as a ‘living document’ which would be amended to reflect the changing needs and aspirations of IEA Bioenergy and its Members. Accordingly, new plans were developed in response to changing circumstances. Now a fourth version has been produced. The drivers of the new Strategic Plan include: In May 2009 the Executive Committee discussed priorities for future work and agreed that the most pressing issues included sustainability issues; the impact of bioenergy on land use change; R&D needs and priorities for the range of emerging bioenergy technologies; evaluation of new potential conversion technologies and crops; and issues associated with the practical implementation of bioenergy systems. • The increased emphasis on security of energy supply by Member Countries and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. • The increased emphasis on greenhouse gas mitigation through the use of bioenergy technologies by Member Countries. • The need to develop sustainable, non-food biomass resources to be used in bioenergy applications that are environmentally sound and socially acceptable. • The need for large-scale development and deployment of new or improved bioenergy technologies. • The need to increase the strategic role of IEA Bioenergy and to support energy policy development. • The need to enhance the support of IEA bodies in promoting their global energy and environment strategy.