2011, No. 2 Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research GA Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzen- und Naturstoff-Forschung e.V. Message from the President order to further advance this fabulous trend I there - fore would like to encourage you to publish your relevant articles in our journal which clearly serves as an excellent platform for exchange of knowl - R edge and ideas between scientists worldwide. R I want to thank the editor of the GA Newsletter, Prof. Hensel, very much for all his efforts; he always welcomes your feed back and contribu - tions and wants to keep the Newsletter attractive and valuable. In the last members meeting it was decided to E E raise the membership fees of GA. This was neces - sary after 6 years in order to keep our budget bal - anced in the next years. With 60 € regular fees and 400 € for corporate members, it is still a reason - able range and I hope that you can accept it. The T reduced fees for student members and members T from certain countries (20 €) shall not be in - Dear Members, creased. Just as a friendly reminder, the annual membership fees are due and payable at least in during the member’s meeting in Antalya, the BoD January of each year, therefore I kindly ask you to of GA has newly been elected. The detailed results make arrangements to have the fee paid in time. If T of the elections are published in this Newsletter. you have already submitted your 2012 member - T Prof. Wolfgang Blaschek has been elected as the ship fee, please ignore this message. Otherwise, new president of GA. I want to congratulate him we would appreciate that you make the payment very much and wish him a successful presidency. for your 2012 membership fee as soon as possi - Prof. Hamburger and me have been elected as ble. These are difficult times, but with your help vice pres idents, Dr. Benedek for secretary and GA will continue to be an excellent Society. th Dr. Roether as treasurer. I want to take the chance The last annual and 59 congress was again very E to thank my colleagues in the ExC and BoD for the well attended and successful; it was the first time E good team work and for all the time and the enthu - the GA annual congress was organized out of siasm they spent for GA. It has always been a Europe in Turkey, in Antalya as an attractive spot pleasure to work with such a good team! blending history and culture. You will find a special I want to thank Prof. Susanne Alban for serving in report in this Newsletter. We could attract espe - L the BoD for many years and I appreciate very cially many young scientists from all parts of the L much that she will continue as co-chair of the PC world. So the GA meeting became again a plat - “Regulatory Affairs on Herbal Medicinal Prod - form for an exchange of knowledge and ideas ucts”. Moreover, I want to thank Prof. Skaltsounis between scientists from different regions. On be - and Dr. Kelber for their support in the BoD and I half of GA, I want to thank the organizer of the hope that they will be active for GA also in the congress in Antalya, Prof. Baser and the organiz - future. Special thanks to Prof. Franz who acted as ing company for all their work and engagement. S S chair of the PC “Breeding and Cultivation of They did an excellent job and we will keep the Medicinal Plants” for decades and therefore have Antalya meeting in best remembrance. More than influenced GA to a great extent. 800 abstracts of the presentations have again GA has done very well over the years, in large part been published in Planta Medica . I want to thank due to a group of dedicated members who have the publisher, Thieme Verlag Stuttgart, Dr. Regina volunteered their time and expertise to ensure that Wenzel, and the issue-editor Prof. Baser very our business is done. I want to express my sincere much for all their efforts. A quite high number of appreciation to all of those who have served (and posters have not been presented during the con - continue to serve) GA in many capacities. We cur - gress, although the corresponding abstracts have W W rently have more than 1500 members from more been published in Planta Medica ; suggestions for than 85 nations and I am very pleased that GA has future handling of the abstract publication will be truly developed to a globally leading society in the discussed (e.g. only electronic publication of ab - field of medicinal plant and natural product re - stracts). search. This positive development is nicely re - During the congress, the Egon-Stahl-Award in flected in our flagship journal, Planta Medica (ISI Gold, which is the highest scientific honour of GA E Impact Factor 2010 of 2.369), which under the and acknowledges the outstanding scientific life - E able guidance of Prof. Dr. Luc Pieters and his as - time work of a research scientist, was given to the sociate editors, has reported another record year Honory Member of GA, Prof. Dr. Otto Sticher. The of submissions, and continues to improve in quali - Bionorica Phytoneering Award of GA was award - ty (see also Planta Medica monthly newsletter). In ed for the second time, winner of this award is N N Prof. Dr. Veronika Butterweck, University the international importance of medicinal and countries who I personally would like of Florida (USA). Marija Leska has been plant research, such global networking is to welcome to the GA family. announced as the winner of the newly es - extremely necessary and fruitful. I hope Last but not least I want to say good bye tablished Dr. Willmar Schwabe Research that many of you will attend and old and as presi dent of GA. It was an honour to Scholarship for Young Scientists (lauda - new members meet again at this very at - serve GA in this way for four years and I tiones are published in this NL). As in pre - tractive event. Please visit the GA home - want to thank everybody for his/her sup - vious years, GA has also supported 9 page regularly for updated information on port and trust. young scientists (PhD students and Post - this congress. I wish you a healthy, lucky and successful doctoral Fellows) with travel grants. Besides our annual congress, GA is again year 2012 and I am looking forward to see - The attractiveness of medicinal plant re - coorganizing several other symposia on ing many of you in the famous city of New search can also be seen in the number of medicinal plant research during the year York, during an exciting and stimulating scientists attending our meetings/work - 2012, and I hope that you can attend some congress! shops. of these meetings as well. You can find the The annual and 60 th GA congress in 2012 corresponding information in this Newslet - Cordially, will be organized as Joint meeting by ASP ter or on our web site (www.ga-online.org). in New York, together with AFERP, GA, SIF We are observing an increasing interna - and PSE, and I am convinced that this tional interest in a membership in GA: we meeting in New York will be another mile - even have attracted a broad range of new stone in the history of our Societies. Due to members from a multitude of organizations Brigitte Kopp, GA president Dear members, Planta Medica at our member’s meeting at the yearly an - Message from the Editor-in-Chief nual GA-congress in September last year I was elected GA-president for the next two After five years as plant biotechnology, a field that is no years. I would like to take this opportunity Editor-in-Chief of longer covered by the editorial scope of to thank you for your confidence. Together Planta Medica , the the journal, as has previously been an - with the other highly competent personali - time has come to nounced, for their valuable work during ties of the Board of Directors I’m con - look back and to many years. The size of the Editorial Board vinced we can really support the interests make some reflec - will be reduced from 17 to 9 Editors, in - of GA. In case of any problems or propos - tions about the fu - cluding Adolf Nahrstedt (Senior Editor), als concerning GA don’t hesitate to con - ture. Over the past Matthias Hamburger (Review Editor), tact one of us. few years the Rudolf Bauer, Veronika Butterweck, Tho - number of issues mas Efferth, Irmgard Merfort, Hermann Cordially of Planta Medica Stuppner, Yang-Chang Wu, and myself as has increased from Editor-in-Chief. As is custom with most Wolfgang Blaschek, 12 to 18 per year. Electronic access has scientific journals, membership of the Ad - GA president widely been promoted, and the impact visory Board rotates at regular intervals. factor has increased from 1.746 (IF 2006) The aim of the Advisory Board is to provide to 2.369 (IF 2010), the all-time highest im - a core of dedicated and reliable reviewers, pact factor the journal has ever reached. who are very familiar with Planta Medica , This is a clear indication that Planta Med - its editorial scope and its guidelines, and ica continues to grow as an attractive jour - who will be considered “first choice” re - nal in the field of Medicinal Plant and Nat - viewers by the Editors. Most of the former ural Product Research, and that the Edito - Editors have agreed to act as Advisory rial Board is in a position to choose only Board members from now on, and in addi - those manuscripts that meet the highest tion I would like to welcome Claus Cornett scientific standards.