Springer and the Nano Research Society have announced a new partnership to publish Nanoscale Research Letters (NRL), which will be the first nanotechnology journal from a major commercial publisher to publish articles with open access.  The new journal provides an interdisciplinary forum for the open communication of scientific and technological advances in the creation and use of objects at the nanometer scale.  The first open access articles are scheduled to appear on Springer's online platform, SpringerLink, in July 2006.

NRL emphasizes research that seeks to uncover the underlying science and behavior of nanostructures, crossing the disciplines of physics, materials science, biology, chemistry, and engineering.  The journal will contain original research papers (“Nano Express”) and reviews (“Nano Reviews”) which update readers on the latest developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology.  NRL also invites personal commentaries (“Nano Opinions”) to address general concerns of the nano community and to highlight important new areas of science.  Editor-in-Chief Zhiming M. Wang of the University of Arkansas; Co-Editor, Americas, Harry E. Ruda of the University of Toronto; Co-Editor, Europe, Oliver G. Schmidt of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research; and Co-Editor, Asia and Pacific, Qi-kun Xue of the Tsinghua University are supported by a team of distinguished Topical Editors, Assistant Editors, and a global board of interdisciplinary nanotechnology leaders.

“This new  journal and the open access articles will cross disciplines, conventions, and mind-sets to uncover new rules of science and technology,” said Professor Greg Salamo, President of the Nano Research Society.  “Springer is one of the preeminent publishers in the nanosciences, and we look forward to providing a publishing platform for scientists from all disciplines.”

“Nanoscale Research Letters presents a novel type of platform for ultra-rapid exchange of information on important scientific achievements in nanotechnology. I am convinced the nano community will strongly benefit from the birth of its latest child,” commented Dieter Bimberg, Executive Director of the Solid State Physics Institute at the Technical University of Berlin and a member of the NRL Board.

"We are very excited and proud to bring 'Springer Open Choice' to the field of nanoscience and technology.  Open access is increasingly seen as a high impact way of publishing scientific research and we are in the business of serving the publishing needs of the scientific community, whatever its requirements," said Jan Velterop, Director of Open Access at Springer.

The Nano Research Society is a nonprofit scientific organization whose members work at the forefront of nanoscale science and technology in over 12 countries in America, Europe and Asia.  The Society aims to provide global leadership in stimulating interaction among a diverse group of researchers pursuing innovation at the nanoscale through research, publication, and meetings.

Springer (www.springer.com) is one of the leading publishers of books and journals in the field of nanotechnology.  It is part of Springer Science+Business Media, one of the world’s leading suppliers of scientific and specialist literature and the second-largest publishing group in the science, technology, and medicine (STM) sector.  The group owns 70 publishing houses, together publishing a total of 1,450 journals and more than 5,000 new books a year.  The group operates in over 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and has some 5,000 employees.  In 2005, it generated annual sales of around EUR 838 million.

Contact: Joan Robinson, tel +49 6221 487 8130