On behalf of the Editorial Board of Geotechnical Research (GeoRes), we welcome our readers to the first issue of volume 8 (2021). GeoRes, being the first gold open access (OA) journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers, strives to disseminate impactful geotechnical knowledge to the community that we serve. Readers are welcome to download, distribute and share copies of GeoRes research articles with their colleagues to enhance collaboration. GeoRes also offers a range of discounts for disadvantaged groups of researchers, particularly researchers from International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) countries. It is hoped that such a discount policy will partially eliminate the economic barrier for disseminating quality research output from developing countries. It is indeed pleasing to note the increased interactions from our readers, authors, reviewers and our international editorial board members (at least 15 countries), making GeoRes a truly international and interactive journal. We would like to acknowledge the increased contributions from the fast-growing regions of Asia Pacific, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, propping up the traditionally strong contributions from Europe and North America. We would also like to thank our readers for their continuing readership, citations and recommendations to peers.