Recently, the Office of the China Science and Technology Journals Excellence Action Plan issued the Notice on the Public Announcement of Proposed Projects Selected for Phase II High-Starting-Point New Journal Program of the 2025 China Science and Technology Journals Excellence Action Plan. According to the notice, following project applications, eligibility review, and expert panel evaluation, a total of 70 projects were shortlisted. Among them, National Materials, an international journal independently founded by the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Peking University, has been selected for the “High-Starting-Point New Journal” program under the China Science and Technology Journals Excellence Action Plan.

Phase II of the China Science and Technology Journals Excellence Action Plan (2024–2028) is jointly implemented by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the National Press and Publication Administration, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The program consists of five sub-projects: English-language single journals, Chinese-language single journals, high-starting-point new journals, high-level journal publishing talent cultivation, and cluster (group-based) development pilots. The implementation period spans five years. The High-Starting-Point New Journal initiative emphasizes forward-looking planning, domain-oriented journal selection, and a strong leading role. Guided by the principles of addressing shortcomings, filling gaps, and promoting the concentration of high-quality publishing resources, it prioritizes support for the establishment of high-starting-point English- or Chinese-language scientific and technological journals in areas of traditional strengths, emerging interdisciplinary fields, strategic frontiers, and key generic technologies, with the aim of expanding platforms for high-level academic exchange.

National Materials is an international flagship journal in the field of materials science jointly launched by Peking University and the internationally renowned publisher Wiley. The journal is co-led by Academician Zhang Jin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Peking University) and Professor Konstantin Novoselov, Nobel Laureate (National University of Singapore) as founding Editors-in-Chief, and is supported by an international editorial board composed of outstanding scholars from around the world.

National Materials focuses on advanced functional and structural materials, and is dedicated to publishing innovative research that spans the entire materials innovation chain—from materials synthesis and processing, to structural characterization, performance optimization, and applications. With the mission of building an international, cutting-edge platform for exchange in materials science, the journal aims to bring together the global materials research community and to promote innovation and advancement in the field of materials science.