This is to inform the friends of JPC and the whole community of TLC/HPTLC that Professor Bernd Spangenberg left the position of Editor-in-Chief as of December 31, 2022. We have been behind the wheel with him for 16 years. It was a long and adventurous time. Bernd Spangenberg took charge in 2007, sometime after co-founder and previous Editor-in-Chief, Professor Szabolcs Nyiredy, passed away. Those were difficult days and months since the print-only journal at the time lost not only its Editor-in-Chief but also its solid institutional background. However, Professor Rudolf Kaiser, also a co-founder of the JPC, was a valuable companion until his passing in 2021.

Another challenge was the 1-year suspension of the journal in the Science Citation Index due to unusual citation figures. JPC was blameless in the case. A comprehensive review was published in another journal that listed the recent results of the TLC/HPTLC literature and cited intensively the JPC articles. The temporary loss of the impact factor caused no crucial harm for JPC. The quality and the usual citation rate both kept an upward trend. In 2020, when our partner Springer Nature joined the publishing of the JPC, the journal transition went smoothly.

Bernd Spangenberg, together with the Editors and Ágnes Kakuk, the irreplaceable Managing Editor, did a great job. Whatever has been achieved in the past 16 years is connected to their commitment and hard work. Representing the owner and the publisher of the journal, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Spangenberg for his excellent contribution to the success of JPC. We are all more than grateful for this.

I am convinced that all the results achieved are a good basis for further improvements. JPC is a relatively small journal but with global impact. Science connects nations and perspectives, and as new Editors-in-Chief, the Members of the International Scientific Committee of HPTLC have taken over the equal editorship-in-chief. Lifelong learning, adaptation, creative thinking and curiosity are the drivers of inspiration for scientists worldwide. This underlines the international importance of the journal.