Plants are repeatedly attacked by a variety of pathogens and pests, and have evolved a multitude of mechanisms to fight off their parasites. The field of plant immunity has significantly matured in recent years. All major classes of molecular players both from plants (surface and intracellular immune receptors) and microbes (microbial pattern molecules and effectors) have been revealed. This conference will highlight the latest developments in understanding plant immune pathways, how these pathways are perturbed by pathogens, and how plants and their parasites coevolve. The selected speakers will address the following questions: How do plant immune receptors sense pathogen molecules and effectors? What molecular mechanisms mediate immunity both at the surface and inside the plant cell? How do microbial effectors alter plant immunity? How do pathogens affect plant evolution in natural ecosystems? In addition, the conference will address how basic knowledge on plant immunity can be translated into applications of relevance to agriculture. Therefore, the conference will be unique in bringing together cutting-edge basic scientists with more applied colleagues. Such high-level dialogue should foster the emergence of novel ideas for combating plant diseases. Our goal is also to raise the profile of translational plant pathology research in an era of looming food crisis. Finally, we propose to organize two workshops on the topics of “systems approaches to plant immunity” and “emerging pathogens and pests” that will complement the plenary sessions.