To continue our engagement against influenza and to be prepared for the next outbreak we need further global efforts to understand viral mechanisms, host-pathogen interactions and immunological pathways. It was the aim of the 3rd International Influenza Meeting to bring together experts from all over the world to discuss and exchange most recent research results in an international environment and to create new collaborations. The meeting took place at the University of Muenster. More than 270 researchers from 24 countries participated in the meeting. The 3rd International Influenza Meeting was opened by the president of the Robert Koch Institute, Reinhard Burger. Further welcome notes were given by Stephan Ludwig (University of Muenster, Germany), the coordinator of the FluResearchNet.The opening lecture was given by Yoshihiro Kawaoka (Madison, USA), who talked about the epic journey to publish ferret H5N1 transmission studies. Ron Fouchier (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) opened the first session "Pathogenesis" with the keynote lecture "Transmission of Influenza A/H5N1 Virus via Aerosol or Respiratory Droplets between Ferrets". Further sessions about the NS1 protein as a modulator of cell responses, innate immunity, influenza and the lung, vaccines and antivirals and virus cell interaction were opened u.a. by the invited speakers Jon McCullers (Memphis, USA), Joseph P. Mizgerd (Boston, USA) and Juan Ortin (Madrid, Spain). Within the sessions researchers presented most recent results - an interesting mixture between overview and actual research aspects, which offered the opportunity for scientific discussions. The sessions were flanked by poster presentations - 130 scientists presented their work by posters.Some impressions of the 3rd International Influenza MeetingPress releases and broadcasts (available only in German)Abstract volume