The main objectives of the Brazilian Technology Foresight Programme or BTFP are to increase the competitiveness of economic stakeholders in specific industry sectors and to provide relevant information to public sector actors involved in the formulation of technology policy. The first phase of the BTFP focused on production chains in four key industry sectors – construction, textiles and garments, plastics, wood and furniture. This work is now finished and dissemination has begun. The initiative is notable for its use of methods to understand the structure of production chains, critical performance factors for the future and emerging key technologies.