Announcements

More than 100 German universities and research institutions have entered into a national agreement with MDPI. The publication agreement negotiated by ZB MED comes into effect on 1 January 2025 and is valid until the end of 2026. Joining the consortium is still possible until the beginning of 2025. We are delighted by the high level of interest this agreement has already garnered, reflecting the strong demand for accessible and cost-effective open access publishing solutions among German research institutions.

This new cooperation aims to make scientific gold open access publishing more affordable and less administratively burdensome for researchers in Germany. The agreement includes substantial discounts on article processing charges (APCs) for corresponding authors from participating institutions. It offers flexible payment options, including centralized invoicing or individual payment of fees by researchers or their institutions. Additionally, the agreement features a flat-fee model that enables institutions to precisely plan expenses and optimize their library budgets.

"MDPI can look back on over a decade of successful partnerships with German research institutions," says Peter Roth, MDPI Head of Publishing. "The new agreement marks another milestone in the long-standing co-operation between MDPI and the German scientific community. It emphasizes our commitment to developing up-to-date and inventive solutions for the diverse needs of scientific institutions to promote open research for the benefit of researchers."

Petra Labriga, Head of Strategic License Management at ZB MED, highlighted the agreement's significance: "As one of the world's leading Gold OA publishers, MDPI plays a central role in the German publishing landscape. We are particularly pleased that we were able to achieve considerable potential cost savings for scientific institutions and their authors at a national level through our negotiations."

The partnership reflects a common goal of advancing the idea of open access and supporting researchers in making their scientific excellence internationally visible.

"We would like to thank the ZB MED consortium team for their excellent collaboration," added Adrian Stefan Zamfir, MDPI Institutional Partnership Manager for the DACH region. "We are delighted that this agreement will give even more researchers in Germany access to our tried-and-tested and reliable publication platform."

Franziska Fischer (right), Commercial Director at ZB MED, an Peter Roth (left), Head of Publishing at MDPI, celebrate the signing of the new national open access agreement between MDPI and the ZB MED Consortium.

More Information

• Conditions and participation opportunities (German): Link
• Frequently asked questions (German): Link

Contact

• ZB MED: Team Konsortiallizenzen (konsortiallizenzen@zbmed.de) - Website
  MDPI: Adrian Stefan Zamfir, Institutional Partnership Manager (zamfir@mdpi.com)
  
  

About ZB MED

ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Sciences is an infrastructure and research centre for life science information and data. Its aim is to support and strengthen research for people and the environment: from medicine to biodiversity and environmental protection.

The work of ZB MED is orientated towards the strategic guidelines:

• Research + Networking: We conduct research together with the regionally, nationally, European and globally networked research community.
• Data science: We enable data analyses and generate new knowledge through research.
• Access to information: We provide sustainable access to information, literature and data as a central information infrastructure.
• Open + FAIR: We promote open and reproducible science in line with open science and FAIR principles.
• Knowledge and skills transfer: We actively impart knowledge, competences and skills.

More information at www.zbmed.de.

About MDPI

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, MDPI is one of the world's leading open access publishers with a current portfolio of more than 440 journals in all scientific disciplines. MDPI‘s goal is to advance open science worldwide through greater transparency, efficiency and collaboration. To date, more than 3.7 million researchers have published their results in MDPI journals. The editorial process is overseen by a large network of dedicated reviewers and editors and supported by more than 6500 MDPI employees. MDPI currently works with over 800 academic institutions and 180 scientific societies worldwide, which benefit from a wide range of MDPI services and products.

We are pleased to announce a series of updates to our template, aimed at improving the readability and overall aesthetics of our publications. These changes have been meticulously designed to enhance the user experience and ensure consistency across all our publications. The updated template will be available for download from the Instructions for Authors page.

The following updates will be applied to articles published in the 2025 volumes, starting on 24 December 2024:

• Main text: The line spacing has been increased to improve the readability of publications;
• Header and footer: The link to the journal website will be removed, as a hyperlink has been integrated into the journal logo. Additionally, the DOI link will be moved from the left-hand side to the right-hand side, and both the header and footer will be slightly raised to achieve a better balance;
• Left information bar: The information provided here has been rearranged for better organization; the CC-BY logo will be removed;
• Font size: The font size used for the abstract, keywords, and first-level headings will be increased.

Furthermore, MDPI journals will continue to use article numbers. This approach enables us to maintain a rapid and efficient production process by being able to define pagination as soon as a paper is accepted.

We hope that the new version of the template will provide users with a better experience and make the process more convenient.

Please contact production@mdpi.com if you have any questions or suggestions.

Conference: 3rd International Electronic Conference on Biomedicines
Time: 12–15 May 2025, CEST, Online
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/ECB2025

We cordially invite you to attend the above event organized by the MDPI journal Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059; Impact Factor: 3.9). The conference will take place virtually on 12–15 May 2025, CEST.

Conference Chairs:

• Prof. Dr. Felipe Fregni, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;
• Prof. Dr. Allan Stensballe, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark;
• Prof. Dr. Georgia Levidou, Paracelsus Medical University, Klinikum Nuremberg, Germany;
• Prof. Dr. Serafino Fazio, Federico II University School of Medicine, Naples, Italy.

The Topics of Interest:
S1. Insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia;
S2. Immunotherapy and adverse effects;
S3. Tumor microenvironment;
S4. Immune system, tumor immunology, and autoimmune disease;
S5. Biomedicine in cardiovascular diseases;
S6. Diabetes, obesity and metabolic diseases;
S7. Gene therapy and gene editing;
S8. Rare diseases;
S9. Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration.

Important Dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 19 January 2025;
Notification of acceptance: 19 February 2025;
Deadline for free registration: 8 May 2025.

Submit your abstract here.

Register for the conference here.

For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact ecb@mdpi.com. We look forward to seeing you at ECB2025.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 685 Editorial Board Members of our journals – from 39 different countries and territories – who have been recognized as Highly Cited Researchers for 2024 by Clarivate. This distinction highlights their exceptional scientific achievements and significant contributions, which transcend academic boundaries to advance global knowledge, sustainability, security, and well-being.

Clarivate's annual Highly Cited Researcher™ list identifies the most influential scientists of the past decade, whose work has had a profound and widespread impact across various scientific and social science disciplines. Their impactful papers rank among the top 1% by citations in one or more of the 21 fields analyzed within the "Essential Science Indicators," marking them as leaders in their respective domains.

"Highly Cited Researchers have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research," according to Clarivate. In 2024, a total of 6,886 Highly Cited Researcher designations were awarded to 6,636 individuals.

The following is a list of MDPI's Editorial Board Members named Highly Cited Researchers in 2024. We congratulate them for their achievement and their contributions to advancing knowledge in their respective fields.

The 12th Singapore International Chemistry Conference (SICC-12) is scheduled to be held on 9 to 13 December 2024. It is hosted by the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) and it will cover organic, organometallic, inorganic and material chemistry. The theme will be “Building Chemistry: Bridging Disciplines” and about 2000 participants from all over the world are expected. We have already gathered an impressive roster of speakers, including Nobel Laureate Professor Aaron Ciechanover. This event will be held in-person only, in Singapore.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Molecules;
• Analytica;
• Colorants;
• Chemistry;
• Compounds;
• Chemosensors;
• Polysaccharides;
• Biosensors.

We are pleased to announce that the 5th International Conference on Symmetry (Symmetry 2025) is scheduled to take place from 16 to 19 May 2025 in Hangzhou, China. The conference, organized by MDPI’s Symmetry (ISSN: 2073-8994, Impact Factor: 2.2), aims to gather researchers, professionals, and experts interested in this field to share their latest research findings, innovations, and experiences.

For this upcoming event, we are proud to announce the following conference chairs and plenary speakers.

Conference Chairs:

• Dr. Sergei D. Odintsov, Institute of Space Sciences, Spain;
• Dr. Changzheng Qu, Ningbo University, China;
• Dr. Jihuan He, Soochow University, China.

Plenary Speakers:

• Dr. Ronggen Cai, Ningbo University, China;
• Dr. Sergei D. Odintsov, Institute of Space Sciences, Spain;
• Dr. Jiping Zhang, Peking University, China.

Topics of Interest and Session Chairs:
S1. Physics

• Session Chair: Shin'ichi Nojiri, Nagoya University, Japan;
• Session Chair: Prof. Tianjun Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Henan Normal University, China;
• Session Chair: Prof. Yuxiao Liu, Lanzhou University, China.

S2. Mathematics

• Session Chair: Prof. Qingwen Wang, Shanghai University, China;
• Session Chair: Prof. Shoufeng Shen, Zhejiang University of Technology, China.

S3. Chemistry

• Session Chair: György Keglevich, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary;
• Session Chair: Prof. Weihua Tang, Xiamen University, China.

S4. Engineering

• Session Chair: Prof. Chong Wang, Beihang University China, China;
• Session Chair: Prof. Deming Lei, Wuhan University of Technology, China.

S5. Computer Science

• Session Chair: Prof. Hu Xiong, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China;
• Session Chair: Prof. Kuo-Hui Yeh, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan.

S6. Symmetry Applications

• Session Chair: Prof. Jihuan He, Soochow University, China;
• Session Chair: Prof. Chunli Zhang, Zhejiang University, China.

Conference Awards:

• Best Oral Presentation Award;
• Best Poster Award;
• Best Speaker Award.

Number of winners: 23.

Prizes:
CNY 1500 (5 winners); a full Article Processing Charge (APC) waiver for Symmetry (6 winners); a 50% APC waiver for Symmetry (12 winners); and a certificate celebrating this achievement (all winners).

Guide for Authors:
To submit your abstract, please click on the following link:
https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1219.

To register for the event, please click on the following link:
https://sciforum.net/event/symmetry2025?section=#registration.

For more information, you may refer to the following:
https://sciforum.net/event/symmetry2025?section=#instructions.

Important Dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 16 February 2025
Notification of Acceptance: 9 March 2025
Early-Bird Registration: 16 March 2025
Registration Deadline: 16 May 2025

We look forward to receiving your contribution to Symmetry 2025.

Conference Chairs
Symmetry 2025 Organizing Team (symmetry2025@mdpi.com)

We are honored to announce that Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn will serve as the Chair of the 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee.

Name: Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn
Affiliation: College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, USA

Prof. Dr. Kinghorn is a leading expert in pharmacognosy and natural products research. He is recognized for his key contributions to discovering bioactive compounds from plants, especially in anticancer, cancer chemopreventive, and substances with a sweet taste and taste-modifying agents. His prolific contributions include over 590 peer-reviewed works and edited or co-edited 40 scientific volumes.

The 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee, under Prof. Dr. Kinghorn's guidance, will focus on identifying innovative research in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry. The committee will aim to identify groundbreaking work with the potential to lead to significant advancements in these areas.

We are confident that, with Prof. Dr. Kinghorn at the helm, the 2024 Tu Youyou Award will continue to inspire excellence and innovation in the related fields.

About the Tu Youyou Award
Established in 2016, the Tu Youyou Award seeks to honor those who excel in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry. This award offers a total prize of CHF 100,000, which will be equally divided among the winners if there is more than one, with each recipient receiving an award medal.

The 2024 Tu Youyou Award remains open for nominations until 31 December 2024. We encourage all eligible candidates to participate in this prestigious recognition, as this award not only honors individual achievement but also encourages further scientific exchange, exploration and discovery in critical areas of medicine.

If you are interested in participating, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website for more information on the nomination requirements.

MDPI invites all esteemed experts to join the webinar of Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049) titled “Recent Advances in Redox Active Species”. This webinar will delve into the latest breakthroughs in redox biology, focusing on reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and selenium species and their complex roles in cellular function. These reactive species serve as both damaging agents and essential signaling molecules, making them central to our understanding of disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies.

We look forward to your participation in this discussion. 

Title: Recent Advances in Redox Active Species
Date: 28 November 2024
Time: 09:00 a.m.–10:35 a.m. (CET) | 04:00 p.m.–05:35 p.m. (CST Asia)

This is a free webinar. After registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized. 

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will let you know when the recording is available for viewing.

Register for free:

Program:

MDPI successfully held an author training session at Kasetsart University, Thailand's leading agricultural institution. This event took place against the backdrop of Kasetsart University's participation in MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). The session, which was conducted on 5 November 2024, aimed to equip students with the essential knowledge and skills for maneuvering through the paper publication process, enhancing their English writing proficiency, understanding data visualization in academic papers, and exploring the applications of artificial intelligence in the publishing field.

Ms. Watinee Khemakarothai, the Deputy Director of Kasetsart University Library, shared her thoughts on the valuable collaboration between Kasetsart University (KU) and MDPI, emphasizing the significance of joint efforts that support and empower the academic community. She expressed her gratitude to MDPI Thailand for organizing this event, which was customized to meet the requirements of the university’s authors.

In the first presentation, Dr. Janenipa Saupsor, the Deputy Office Manager of MDPI Thailand, provided insights into MDPI’s development from its establishment in 1996 to its current status as a prominent open access academic publisher. She emphasized MDPI’s dedication to making scientific research freely accessible through its extensive collection of over 400 journals and its global presence. Dr. Saupsor also introduced a selection of key journals, such as Polymers, Sustainability, Foods, Animals and Molecules, which serve as valuable options for researchers seeking the ideal journal for their work. Additionally, she highlighted the successful collaboration between MDPI and Kasetsart University on the Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), reinforcing support for open access publishing.

The second session, presented by Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon, MDPI’s regional journal relations specialist in Asia-Pacific, was titled “How to Write Scientific Papers in English”. The session began with the literature search and introduction to the analysis program to investigate the research topic to ensure novelty. Next, she illustrated the front matter, main text, and back matter, the three fundamental manuscript structures, before sharing useful examples to help the audience better understand how to write each section. Last but not least, she introduced the English Language Editing and Figure Editing services provided by MDPI Author Services, all of which support authors in manuscript preparation.

The third session, “Data Visualization for Scientific Papers”, was shared by Mr. Suvicha Sasivimolkul, MDPI’s Training Group Leader for Asian offices. He initiated the session by pointing out why data are so crucial due to the increasing amounts of data every minute. Data visualization is an approach through which we can maintain our perceptual and cognitive abilities to understand trends and patterns of the data by presenting data graphically in figures, graphs, or tables. He then explained and emphasized MDPI Figure and Table formatting, the points that the author should pay more attention to and the points that the author should avoid.

The author training program concluded with the topic “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publishing”, presented by Dr. Kamolchanok Deesrisak, Scientific Advisor of MDPI journal Healthcare. After providing an overview of AI technology in daily life, its capabilities and impacts on scientific publishing were elaborated, with a focus on the current advancements and challenges. In line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) position statement, the guidelines on AI, authorship, and the peer-review process were thoroughly explained. Before ending the session, the AI tools developed by MDPI's AI team were introduced. These will assist both internal and external users in improving processes and services.

After each presentation, students, faculty members, and MDPI speakers engaged in a vigorous exchange of ideas. Even after the training, many attendees remained and continued to communicate with us, praising the event for its well-structured curriculum and the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals.

In conclusion, the author training session at Kasetsart University marked a crucial step in promoting academic publishing and research dissemination for MDPI. Meanwhile, it emphasized the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the constantly evolving landscape of higher education and the publishing industry. This initiative represented a reinforcement.

Please do not hesitate to start a conversation with us at bangkok@mdpi.com if you would like to hold an author training session with MDPI in Thailand.