On 11-13 September 2018 the Ghent University and VIB are organizing the ‘Plant Protease and PCD Symposium’ conference. After three successful conferences on Plant Proteases and Programmed Cell Death organized in Hemavan, Sweden (2011); Barcelona, Spain (2013); and Oxford, UK (2016), it is our pleasure to host the fourth meeting in the beautiful medieval town of Ghent, Belgium.