At the 35th Brazilian Congress of Pathology (35º Congresso Brasileirode Patologia) in Salvador, NATON coordinator Prof. Peter Boor spoke about the challenges, objectives and achievements involved in establishing a national autopsy network. In particular, he highlighted the scientific findings and achievements during the COVID-19 pandemic and explained how the network subsequently evolved into a sustainable Research Infrastructure.Under the guiding principle “The medicine of the future is based on cross-border and collaborative research!”, he emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing global health challenges. This generated considerable interest, particularly in Brazil, where issues such as infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness play a significant role. Accordingly, there was a strong expression of interest in future scientific collaboration and the expansion of joint research activities. In conclusion, he provided an outlook on how, building on this foundation, a sustainable research infrastructure in pathology can be established in the long term, one that extends beyond autopsy-based research to encompass the entire field.