I am honored to become the new Editor-in-Chief of Current Genetics, starting from the present volume. I am replacing Stefan Hohmann, from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who held the position since 2001, and I take this opportunity to thank him for his amazing dedication and hard work throughout the years.

I have always kept a warm spot in my heart for Current Genetics, as it was in this journal that I published my first scientific publication, in 1984 (reporting the cloning of the S. cerevisiae RAD6 gene in the lab of Prof. Giora Simchen, with whom I carried out my PhD thesis). When I was invited to be part of its board of Editors, in 1999, I accepted without hesitation, and I have been working as an Editor since then. Both Current Genetics and science in general have changed quite a bit in the 30 years since my first paper was accepted for publication. Below, I would like to share with readers and authors my vision of the future of the journal.

First, we aim at publishing papers of high scientific quality on all the different aspects of Genetics of microorganisms and organelles. The organisms investigated can come from all three realms of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. We will publish papers that present novel genetic, genomic, molecular and system-level information about the processes taking place within the cells (and their organelles), as well as the interactions between organisms. We welcome submissions employing any type of research approach, be it analytical (aiming at a better understanding), applied (aiming at practical applications), synthetic or theoretical. We would like to be a place in which new genetic methodologies, being novel experimental methods or bioinformatics algorithms, can be published. In the last years much progress has been made in mapping cellular processes at a system level (“systems biology”), and microorganisms, as in the past, are serving as ideal model organisms to carry out these studies. The same can be said for the developing fields of synthetic biology and in-lab evolution. We welcome submissions in these highly exciting new fields.

Second, we aim at improving the peer-review process to reduce as much as possible the time it takes from the submission to a decision of acceptance/rejection. This will grant the authors a rapid and authoritative response on their submitted work. Our current submitting platform is user-friendly and allows carrying all communications between authors and journal online, making the process of sending a manuscript to Current Genetics a pleasant experience. Moreover, the average time from acceptance to online publication is only 17 days, which ensures fast publication of your manuscript.

Third, as in the past, Current Genetics will allow authors to choose between an Open Access model of publishing, in which the authors pay a fee and keep full control of the copyright, or a regular model, which then is free of charge for the authors and allows the publication of color figures with no additional cost.

Fourth, also as in the past, we will continue to compile special issues on topics that we feel may be especially attractive to our readers. We will also increase the number of reviews and mini-reviews on a varied and broad scope of topics.

Finally, we have renewed the Editorial Board to incorporate new and young scientists covering additional aspects of current genetic fields. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the new and old Editorial Board members, as well as the large number of reviewers that have contributed to the success of Current Genetics throughout the years. I am looking forward to collaborate with our new Editorial Board to make Current Genetics the journal of choice for all researchers interested in microorganisms and organelles.