"European Council outlined in its Decision 2006/976/EURATOM a need for ""Implementation-oriented R&D activities on all remaining key aspects of deep geological disposal"". Waste implementers (WMOs) in Europe initiated a technology platform Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste (IGD-TP) to foster, to promote and to accelerate the implementation of geological disposal. The mission of the IGD-TP is to be a tool to support confidence-building in the safety and implementation of deep geological disposal solutions. IGD-TP derives from EC FP-projects Net.Excel and CARD. The IGD-TP is in line with the EC strategies and goals to implement waste management solutions in Europe as a part of the SET-PLAN. Moreover, IGD-TP is not only beneficial for the safe implementation of the first facilities but also for the waste programmes with longer implementation time frames. A majority of the countries with nuclear have active waste programmes, but current status, implementation times, and the challenges differ. Sweden, Finland and France are the readiest for implementation and plan to start licensing disposal facilities in few years. After the CARD project, eight implementers BE, FI, FR, DE, ES, SE, CH, UK acted on the CARD recommendations and initiated activities needed to set-up the IGD-TP. An interim executive group was formed to direct the work to produce a vision document and to launch the IGD-TP in 2009 under the Swedish Presidency. The IGD-TP needs administrative support to be of European value-added. A secretariat is a necessary contribution to the daily management of the IGD-TP and for acting as an open information centre on the platform activities, and for stakeholder participation. The Secretariat supports the preparation of the Strategic research agenda (SRA) and contributes in an efficient manner to operations of the platform (the agreed vision, the SRA, and its deployment plan). It maintains a public website where e.g. progress reports and announcements for future events are published in support of exchange among the members and other stakeholders, and fosters consultation and cooperation on projects. The dissemination of the work results of IGD-TP to all stakeholders is needed. The secretariat acts closely with the Executive Group of the IGD-TP, WMOs, centres of competence in RD&D and other stakeholders participating in its operations, since there is a joint awareness of the need of cooperation on challenges related to geological disposal."