The paper presents the current status of the Gas cooled Fast Reactor system development which is shared within the Generation IV International Forum including Euratom through the 7^th Framework Programme project GoFastR. The various areas considered will include suitable fuel compounds and high temperature resistant cladding materials options, core design optimisation, primary system boundary, energy conversion. The safety approach, mainly oriented on core cooling for the moment, will be recalled together with a discussion of the results obtained. Further potential improvements or simplification of the system safety, at the light of the Fukushima accident, including an indirect coupled cycle for the energy conversion and a self sustainable Decay Heat Removal loop will be mentioned. The main issues related to the necessary R&D programme accompanying the system development will be recalled (fuel and materials, helium coolant technology, components such as gas circulators, valves and heat exchangers, thermal barriers).