To span the entire bridge from basic pathology – the causal understanding of disease – to applied clinical diagnostic, predictive and evaluative pathology is a key issue of the IAP/ESP Congress 2016 in Cologne. Prof. Büttner, member of the organizing committee, hints at a cutting edge keynote lecture as well as at a basic science session. Furthermore, jointly case presentations by a pathologist and an oncologist reflect good practice in daily work. “Personal knowledge and exchange with the professional partners is something you cannot digitalize”, he points out.