Ten years of Biomaterials Science

Autumn of 2022 marks a milestone for Biomaterials Science in the form of the journal's 10th anniversary. In celebration of this achievement, we would like to reflect on the journey of Biomaterials Science as well as look to the future, while highlighting various journal initiatives and commitments which aim to reinforce the journal's reputation as an inclusive home for high-quality and impactful research on biomaterials.

October 2012 saw the first issue of Biomaterials Science published and since then we have published more than 3000 articles and reviews from research groups in over 70 countries. Biomaterials Science started as a collaborative venue between the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Japan. This relationship is reflected in the journal's inaugural Editors-in-Chief, Norio Nakatsuji (Kyoto University, Japan) and Phillip Messersmith (University of California, Berkeley, USA). In 2017, Jennifer Elisseeff (Johns Hopkins University, USA) took over as Editor-in-Chief, which also marked the year in which Biomaterials Science began its partnership with the European Society of Biomaterials (ESB); this collaboration continues to this day with Biomaterials Science recognised as the official journal of the ESB. Current Editor-in-Chief, Jianjun Cheng (Westlake University, China) has been involved with the journal since its inception, acting as one of our first Associate Editors, and from 2021 has been in place as Editor-in-Chief overseeing the continued growth of the journal.

It is important that journals keep pace with and adapt to changes in the research environment, if they are to be a leading-edge forum for research. Our aim is for our scope to not only reflect the current biomaterials field, but where it appears to be heading in the future. Biomaterials Science is an international high impact journal exploring the science of biomaterials and their translation towards clinical use. Our scope encompasses new concepts in biomaterials design, studies into the interaction of biomaterials with the body, and the use of materials to answer fundamental biological questions. Papers do not necessarily need to report a new biomaterial but should provide novel insight into the biological applications of the biomaterial. In line with the Royal Society of Chemistry's values of inclusion and diversity, we wish to emphasise that Biomaterials Science welcomes work from all areas of biomaterials. High quality is the key determining factor for publishing in Biomaterials Science and we look forward to your continued contributions to the journal.

Supporting a field's rising stars is key for any journal. Biomaterials Science has awarded an annual journal lectureship since 2014 to honour an early-stage career scientist who has made a significant contribution to the biomaterials field. The recipient is selected by the Biomaterials Science Editorial Board from a list of candidates nominated by the community. Nominations for the 2023 Biomaterials Science Lectureship award opened in Autumn 2022 and details about recent winners and how to nominate can be found on the lectureship website.

Biomaterials Science has supported early-career scientists since its launch, running four Emerging Investigator issues and recently launching our ongoing https://rsc.li/BM_EmergingInvestigators2022, showcasing the work being conducted by emerging investigators in all areas of biomaterials across the globe. The collection highlights up-and-coming scientists in early stages of their independent careers, who have been identified as having the potential to influence future directions in the field. We welcome all early career researchers who are eligible for the series to submit their best work to the journal. Further information on eligibility, how to apply for consideration as well as more information about the corresponding authors featured in this collection can be found in our blog.

We are also delighted to introduce the Biomaterials Sciencehttps://rsc.li/BMS-10. This collection features high quality research and review articles from some of the top authors in biomaterials, we hope you enjoy reading this themed collection. This series of papers also reflects the diversity of the journal's authorship and we trust that you will enjoy reading the papers in this series and the insights that they provide across the breadth of our discipline.

We would like to express our gratitude to the entire biomaterials community involved with the journal. On behalf of the Editorial Board and the rest of the Editorial Office team, we would like to sincerely thank all who have supported the journal in the past, present and in the future. Our authors, reviewers, readers and board members are the backbone of the journal and our community; their support is central to the success of the journal, and we look forward to continue engaging with you going forward.

This Editorial has provided us an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Biomaterials Science in the last 10 years and we are very proud of what we have built. Now it is time to look to the future and we believe that Biomaterials Science will continue to be the home of diverse, innovative, and impactful biomaterials research for many years to come. We are excited to continue our journey with you!

 

Professor Jianjun Cheng, Editor-in-Chief

Dr Maria Southall, Executive Editor

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