On November 11, 2010, the 1st Bilateral Italo/Chinese Workshop on Synchrotron Radiation Time Resolved Concurrent Experiments: Advantages and Future Applications was held in Shanghai. Its purposes were to assess the extent of scientific cooperation existing between P. R. China and Italy in the field of time resolved experiments using the most brilliant synchrotron radiation sources; consequently, the meeting was jointly organized by one major scientific organization in each country (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, and Chinese Academy of Science, CAS) under the supervision of the Italian Embassy in China (http://www.ambpechino.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Pechino/Menu/I_rapporti_bilaterali/Cooperazione+scientifica/).

Scientific cooperation between the two countries has a long story, since it began well before China became the second economic power of the world. Chinese students started coming to Italy as long ago as when International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) started operating at Trieste in 1964 and profited also of the opportunity offered by Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), again located at Trieste. Physics, in all its various branches, was always their favourite choice and it is by spreading Physics, Chemistry and Material Science studies among Chinese students that Italy contributed to the extraordinary development of China during the past few years. Chinese students, after leaving Trieste, often stayed longer in Italy, either at the INFN National Research Laboratories Frascati and Legnaro or in the university and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, institutes nationwide. Chinese physicists, chemists, material scientists (and also engineers, mathematicians, geophysicists, biologists and geologists, etc.) returning home entered easily the research and development on-going programs there, and most often maintained strict working ties with their former Italian colleagues, thus contributing to the scientific output of both countries. Indeed, despite the great differences in the organization systems, both countries set themselves in the upper decile of world scientific production, when expressed in number of publications on international journals.

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the upmost scientific and cultural organization in Italy that enrols in its ranks most if not all best Italian minds, including two Nobel prizes, one Field prize and several Balzan prizes, always monitored with great attention the development of scientific cooperation between the two countries. There is no formal cooperation agreement between Chinese Academy of Science and Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, and yet mutual visits between delegations have taken place and projects of exchange and cooperation studied. Thus, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei has gladly accepted the invitation of the chairmen Dr. Augusto Marcelli and Prof. Wu Ziyu and of the Science and Technology Councellor of the Embassy of Italy in Beijing, Professor Plinio Innocenzi, to host in its “Rendiconti Lincei Scienze Fisiche” a selection of the most significant papers presented at Shanghai meeting.

“Rendiconti Lincei” is the most representative scientific journal in Italy, being published already in its ninth series for over 130 years. It has been completely renovated only 4 years ago up to the best international standards, including a tough peer-review system. The aims of such renovation were to most conveniently and efficiently exhibit the results of Italian research in all fields to the international audience. The results are satisfactory: in spite of the great competition, “Rendiconti Lincei” is now acknowledged to be the official mirror of the best scientific community operating in Italy, and is receiving contributions from abroad, not only from the many Italians working and teaching in foreign research centres, but also from colleagues from all over the world sharing scientific interest with Italian ones.

It is therefore with a great pleasure that the Editorial Committee of “Rendiconti Lincei Scienze Fisiche e Naturali” (the section that takes care of publishing results on all sciences but Mathematics) accepted the initial proposal, when submitted in 2010. The present Editorial Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief Professor Francesco P. Sassi, who has taken over the office recently replacing for Professor Sandro Pignatti who completed his term, has entrusted me, as Assistant Editor-in-Chief and as Material Science scholar specifically experienced in several technical and scientific aspects of the subjects dealt with during the Shanghai meeting, to bring the peer-review and editorial processes to a successful, rapid end, so that the results of Chinese–Italian scientific cooperation may be available to the interested scientists all over the world in good time.

In the hope of having to edit other results of cooperative work by Chinese and Italian Academicians and scientists, I thank all who contributed to the success of this initiative.