MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO’s Letter #36 - Basel Anniversary Summit, 2025 Impact Factors & CiteScores, CSAL Partnership & ncRNA2026

Opening Thoughts

Reflections from the MDPI 30th Anniversary Summit in Basel

On 4 June, we welcomed 30 Editors-in-Chief (EiCs) from across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific to A 66, MDPI’s former headquarters in Basel, for our 30th Anniversary Summit.

In the middle of the year that we celebrate 30 years since MDPI’s founding in 1996, the Summit provided an opportunity to reflect on our journey and recognize the academic community that has helped shape MDPI over the past three decades.

Designed as a small invitation-only event, the Summit brought together long-standing editorial leaders whose experience and perspectives continue to shape our journals. Throughout the day, one message emerged consistently: strong journals are built together, through partnership between publishers, editors, reviewers, and researchers.

MDPI at 30

During my opening presentation, I reflected on MDPI’s evolution from a single journal (Molecules) to a global Open Access (OA) publisher supporting more than 500 peer-reviewed journals, thousands of editors, and millions of researchers worldwide.

While our growth has been significant, our purpose remains unchanged: to help researchers communicate their work openly, efficiently, and responsibly.

I also took the opportunity to recognize that MDPI’s success has never been achieved alone. It has been built alongside our EiCs, Editorial Board Members, reviewers, authors, institutional partners, and colleagues around the world.

Agenda

The agenda combined moments for reflection, discussion, and direct engagement with our guests. The event was moderated by Damaris Critchlow (Editorial Engagement Manager, MDPI) and the program focused on dialogue rather than presentations alone, combining expert talks, panel discussions, and open forums covering:

MDPI at 30: reflections and the road ahead
Research integrity and editorial responsibility
Partnerships and collaboration in publishing
Editorial leadership and journal development
Artificial intelligence and the future of scholarly publishing

Research Integrity and Editorial Responsibility

A key theme throughout the summit was the continued importance of research integrity and editorial independence. Tim Tait-Jamieson provided an overview of MDPI’s approach to publication ethics, emerging industry challenges, and ongoing investments in prevention, detection, and post-publication oversight. This was a key topic, as it created discussions on the evolving role of publishers, editors, and institutions in safeguarding the scientific record while maintaining transparency and trust.

Editors Panel: Building Journals and Communities

The EiC panel focused on the role of editorial leadership in developing journals and academic communities. Discussions highlighted the importance of active editorial boards, constructive peer review, community engagement, and maintaining quality as scholarly publishing continues to evolve. Thank you to our panelists: Dr. Ester Ballana (Viruses), Dr. Dilantha Fernando (Plants), and Dr. Ting Chi (Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research).

MDPI Panel: The Future of Scholarly Publishing

We also had a roundtable discussion on the future of scholarly publishing. Topics included:

Artificial intelligence and its role in publishing workflows
Technology and innovation in scholarly communication
Research integrity and quality assurance
The future of peer review
Open Access and Open Science
The evolving expectations of researchers, institutions, and funders

Recognizing Editorial Leadership

A highlight of the Summit was recognizing EiCs whose long-term leadership has helped strengthen both their journals and their research communities.

Through the Decade of Editorial Leadership Award and the Outstanding Editorial Impact Award, we celebrated individuals whose dedication has made a lasting contribution to scientific publishing.

As we look ahead to MDPI’s next chapter, partnerships with our editors and the wider academic community will remain central to everything we do.

Thank You

My sincere thanks to everyone who participated, and to the many colleagues whose planning and commitment made the Summit such a memorable event.

Impactful Research

2025 Impact Factors Released

June marked another important milestone, with the release of the 2025 Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

Learn more: https://www.mdpi.com/about/announcements/17055

This year:

330 MDPI journals received a Journal Impact Factor
254 journals increased their Impact Factor
29 journals received their first Journal Impact Factor
71% of ranked journals are now positioned in Q1 or Q2
MDPI publications have now accumulated 25 million citations

While journal metrics should never be viewed as the sole measure of research quality, they remain an important indicator of journal visibility, community engagement, and scientific influence.

These achievements reflect the collective work of our Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Board Members, reviewers, authors, Publishing teams, and everyone involved in developing our journals.

Congratulations to every journal team that contributed to these results.

Inside MDPI

MDPI Journals Receive 2025 CiteScores

In June, Scopus published the 2025 CiteScores, providing another positive indication of the continued development of MDPI journals.

You can find more details about the 2025 CiteScore release here: Open Access, Broadly Recognized: 363 MDPI Journals Receive CiteScores for 2025

This year’s highlights include:

363 journals received a CiteScore
41 journals received a CiteScore for the first time
314 journals (86%) rank in Q1 or Q2
42 journals are now within the top 10% of their subject categories

Although no single metric defines journal quality, these results demonstrate the continued recognition and visibility of our journals across many research disciplines.

Particularly encouraging is the growing number of journals receiving their first CiteScore, reflecting years of sustained editorial development, successful indexing, and close collaboration between our Publishing teams, Indexing team, editors, and academic communities.

Thank you to everyone across MDPI whose daily work contributes to these achievements.

Coming Together for Science

Supporting Open Access in Switzerland: MDPI Renews Agreement with CSAL

I am pleased to share that MDPI has renewed its Open Access (OA) publishing agreement with the Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (CSAL), extending support for researchers across 24 Swiss institutions through our Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP).

As a Swiss-founded publisher, we are particularly proud to continue supporting Switzerland’s research community through long-term institutional partnerships that improve accessibility to Open Access publishing.

The renewal also coincides with the release of our 2025 Switzerland Country Report, highlighting continued national leadership in Open Science. Between 2021 and 2025, Switzerland maintained an OA publication rate of approximately 65–70%, while more than 14,000 Switzerland-affiliated papers have been published with MDPI since 2021.

“We are particularly proud to continue supporting Switzerland’s research community”

The announcement also received coverage across several leading international publishing and research news platforms, including STM, Research Information, EurekAlert!, Bytes Europe, and EdTech Innovation Hub, helping increase visibility for both the partnership and the broader discussion around OA.

My thanks to our IOAP, External Affairs, Communications, and Publishing teams, whose work continues to strengthen relationships with institutions around the world.

Closing Thoughts

Highlights from MDPI Conference ncRNA2026 in Leuven, Belgium (24–26 June)

From 24–26 June, MDPI hosted the ncRNA2026: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Impact Conference in Leuven, Belgium.

The conference welcomed 125 participants from 22 countries and territories, providing an international forum for exchange across molecular biology, medicine, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and translational research.

Bringing the Global Research Community Together

Over three days, participants exchanged ideas through:

4 Chair Talks
8 Invited Lectures
29 Selected Oral Presentations
51 Poster Presentations

Sessions covered topics including molecular biology, clinical applications, artificial intelligence, and emerging non-coding RNA research, creating a dynamic forum for scientific exchange.

Beyond the scientific program, the conference created opportunities for researchers, journal teams, sponsors, and academic partners to exchange ideas, build existing relationships, and create new collaborations across the global research community.

Our thanks to Conference Chairs Professors George Calin, Manuela Ferracin, Eleonora Leucci, and Isidore Rigoutsos, together with the invited speakers, for delivering an outstanding scientific program.

“By creating opportunities for researchers to exchange ideas, we continue to support the advancement of research worldwide”

Recognizing the Team

The conference also took place during an exceptional heatwave in Belgium, with temperatures reaching 38°C. Thanks to the excellent planning by the Conference team and collaboration with the venue, additional cooling measures and attendee support ensured that the event ran safely and successfully despite challenging conditions.

It is often these behind-the-scenes efforts that make the greatest difference to the participant experience. Thank you to everyone involved for your professionalism, flexibility, and commitment throughout the event.

Thank You

My sincere thanks to the Conference Chairs, invited speakers, sponsors, Editorial Office, Conference team, Marketing colleagues, volunteers, and everyone who contributed to making ncRNA2026 such a success.

As MDPI celebrates its 30th anniversary, events such as ncRNA2026 remind us that our contribution extends well beyond publishing journals. By creating opportunities for researchers to exchange ideas, establish collaborations, and build scientific communities, we continue to support the advancement of research worldwide.

Thank you for your continued dedication throughout another busy month, and I wish you all an enjoyable July!