We are most grateful for the response to our call for an international registry for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) from the European IPF Network collaborators.1 This most timely registry should be the forerunner of similar disease-specific approaches to problem-solving in health care. The concept of biomaterial collection in conjunction with clinical data should encourage participation from scientists with an ability to contribute to knowledge of the pathogenesis of IPF. We feel this most positive beginning should be a stimulus to other groups, particularly in North America and the Asia-Pacific region, to follow this European initiative.