Scientific preparedness for the future of mycology: mapping knowledge gaps to guide priority setting and emerging research opportunities

Mycology has gained strategic importance far beyond its traditional disciplinary boundaries, yet research priorities still rely largely on expert consensus rather than on the accumulated structure of scientific knowledge. Whether national research ecosystems can provide objective evidence to guide future agendas remains insufficiently explored. Using Colombian mycology as a demonstrative case, this Perspective examines how scientometric evidence can support strategic planning rather than merely describe productivity. We reconstructed the national research ecosystem through 3,184 primary publications indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (1962–2026), integrating science mapping, segmented regression, concentration analyses, thematic classification, and inferential modeling to characterize growth, organization, thematic structure, collaboration, and factors associated with citation influence. The ecosystem showed sustained expansion, strong institutional concentration, uneven thematic representation, limited activity in several emerging domains, and increasing international collaboration. Adjusted citation models identified higher citation counts among internationally collaborative studies, selected thematic areas, larger author teams, and English-language publications. These associations reflect citation visibility rather than causal effects or broader scientific or societal importance. The findings identify underrepresented domains and organizational patterns that may inform future priority-setting in Colombia, but such domains should be treated as candidates for further evaluation, not confirmed priorities. Bibliometric underrepresentation alone cannot establish scientific, clinical, environmental, or policy relevance, however, this approach links retrospective mapping with prospective agenda development while preserving the distinction between visibility and priority. Scientific preparedness therefore depends not simply on greater productivity, but on the capacity of research ecosystems to convert knowledge structures into informed action.