The median survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis continues to be approximately 3 years from the time of diagnosis, underscoring the lack of effective medical therapies for this disease. In the United States alone, approximately 40,000 patients die of this disease annually. In November 2012, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute held a workshop aimed at coordinating research efforts and accelerating the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis therapies. Basic, translational and clinical researchers gathered with representatives from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, patient advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration to review the current state of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis research and identify priority areas, opportunities for collaborations and directions for future research. The workshop was organized into groups that were tasked with assessing and making recommendations to promote progress in one of the following six critical areas of research: 1) biology of alveolar epithelial injury and aberrant repair, 2) role of extracellular matrix, 3) preclinical modeling, 4) the role of inflammation and immunity, 5) genetic, epigenetic and environmental determinants, 6) translation of discoveries into diagnostics and therapeutics. The workshop recommendations provide a basis for directing future research and strategic planning by scientific, professional and patient communities and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.