diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI.yml b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
index 8c3632b26..b22fc56ed 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
@@ -74,6 +74,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Get current year-month
         id: date
         run: echo "date=$(date +'%Y-%m')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+      
+      - name: Get pip cache dir
+        id: pip-cache
+        run: |
+          echo "dir=$(pip cache dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
@@ -87,7 +92,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Cache test_env
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: /home/runner/.cache/pip
+          path: ${{ steps.pip-cache.outputs.dir }}
           # Look to see if there is a cache hit for the corresponding requirements files
           # cache will be reset on changes to any requirements or every month
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-venv-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-tests.txt') }}
@@ -98,10 +103,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           pip install coveralls
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-tests.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-extras.txt
-          pip install -e .
+          pip install -e .[extras,tests]
 
       - name: List packages
         run: |
@@ -130,7 +132,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         # OS [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
         os: [macos-11,macos-12]
-        python-version: [3.9]
+        python-version: [3.11]
     steps:
       - name: Get current year-month
         id: date
@@ -158,9 +160,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash -l {0}
         run: |
           python --version
-          mamba install mpi4py openmpi
-          mamba install pytest
-          mamba install pytest-cov coveralls
+          mamba install pytest pytest-cov coveralls
           pip install -e .[extras]
 
       - name: List packages
@@ -187,18 +187,9 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         # python versions for elephant: [3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11]
-        python-version: [3.8,]
+        python-version: [3.11,]
         # OS [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
         os: [windows-latest]
-        include:
-          # - os: ubuntu-latest
-          #  path: ~/.cache/pip
-          # - os: macos-latest
-          #   path: ~/Library/Caches/pip
-          - os: windows-latest
-            path: ~\AppData\Local\pip\Cache
-      # do not cancel all in-progress jobs if any matrix job fails
-      fail-fast: false
 
     steps:
       - name: Get current year-month
@@ -206,6 +197,7 @@ jobs:
         run: echo "date=$(date +'%Y-%m')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
@@ -214,7 +206,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Cache pip
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: ${{ matrix.path }}
+          path: ~\AppData\Local\pip\Cache
           # Look to see if there is a cache hit for the corresponding requirements files
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-pip-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-tests.txt') }}
             -${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-extras.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('setup.py') }} -${{ hashFiles('**/CI.yml') }}-${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}
@@ -222,11 +214,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-tests.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-extras.txt
           pip install pytest-cov coveralls
-          pip install -e .
+          pip install -e .[extras,tests]
 
       - name: List packages
         run: |
@@ -267,11 +256,16 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
+      - name: Get pip cache dir
+        id: pip-cache
+        run: |
+          echo "dir=$(pip cache dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
       - name: Cache test_env
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
-          # Look to see if there is a cache hit for the corresponding requirements files
+          path: ${{ steps.pip-cache.outputs.dir }}
+          # look to see if there is a cache hit for the corresponding requirements files
           # cache will be reset on changes to any requirements or every month
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-venv-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-tests.txt') }}
             -${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-extras.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('setup.py') }} -${{ hashFiles('**/CI.yml') }}-${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}
@@ -283,12 +277,8 @@ jobs:
 
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           pip install mpi4py
-          pip install coveralls
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-tests.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-extras.txt
           pip install pytest-cov coveralls
-          pip install -e .
+          pip install -e .[extras,tests]
 
       - name: List packages
         run: |
@@ -313,6 +303,8 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     strategy:
       matrix:
+        # python versions for elephant: [3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11]
+        python-version: [3.11]
         # OS [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
 
@@ -320,19 +312,28 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
 
     steps:
+      - name: Get current year-month
+        id: date
+        run: echo "date=$(date +'%Y-%m')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
+      - name: Get pip cache dir
+        id: pip-cache
+        run: |
+          echo "dir=$(pip cache dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
       - name: Cache pip
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
+          path: ${{ steps.pip-cache.outputs.dir }}
 
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-pip-${{hashFiles('requirements/environment-tests.yml') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/CI.yml') }}-${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}
 
       - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@030178870c779d9e5e1b4e563269f3aa69b04081 # corresponds to v3.0.3
         with:
           auto-update-conda: true
-          python-version: 3.11
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
           mamba-version: "*"
           channels: conda-forge,defaults
           channel-priority: true
@@ -344,8 +345,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           python --version
           conda install mpi4py openmpi
-          mamba install pytest
-          mamba install pytest-cov coveralls
+          mamba install pytest pytest-cov coveralls
           pip install -e .
 
       - name: List packages
@@ -372,6 +372,8 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     strategy:
       matrix:
+        # python versions for elephant: [3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12]
+        python-version: [3.12]
         # OS [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
 
@@ -383,10 +385,15 @@ jobs:
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
+      - name: Get pip cache dir
+        id: pip-cache
+        run: |
+          echo "dir=$(pip cache dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
       - name: Cache pip
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
+          path: ${{ steps.pip-cache.outputs.dir }}
           # Look to see if there is a cache hit for the corresponding requirements files
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-pip-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-docs.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements-tutorials.txt') }}-${{ hashFiles('**/environment-docs.yml') }}
            -${{ hashFiles('**/CI.yml') }}-${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}
@@ -394,7 +401,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@030178870c779d9e5e1b4e563269f3aa69b04081 # corresponds to v3.0.3
         with:
           auto-update-conda: true
-          python-version: 3.11
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
           mamba-version: "*"
           activate-environment: elephant
           environment-file: requirements/environment.yml
@@ -408,9 +415,7 @@ jobs:
           conda install -c conda-forge openmpi pandoc libstdcxx-ng # fix libstdc++.so.6: version for new scipy versions > 1.9.1
           mamba env update --file requirements/environment-docs.yml --name elephant
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-docs.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-tutorials.txt
-          pip install -e .[extras]
+          pip install -e .[extras,tutorials,docs]
           # run notebooks
           sed -i -E "s/nbsphinx_execute *=.*/nbsphinx_execute = 'always'/g" doc/conf.py
 
@@ -438,9 +443,6 @@ jobs:
         # OS [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
 
-      # do not cancel all in-progress jobs if any matrix job fails
-      fail-fast: false
-
     steps:
       # used to reset cache every month
       - name: Get current year-month
@@ -449,7 +451,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
@@ -472,11 +474,8 @@ jobs:
 
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           pip install mpi4py
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-tests.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements.txt
-          pip install -r requirements/requirements-extras.txt
           pip install pytest-cov coveralls
-          pip install -e .
+          pip install -e .[extras,tests]
 
       - name: List packages
         run: |
diff --git a/codemeta.json b/codemeta.json
index 9ef0752a1..ebd16d953 100644
--- a/codemeta.json
+++ b/codemeta.json
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
     "license": "https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause",
     "codeRepository": "git+https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/elephant.git",
     "contIntegration": "https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/elephant/actions",
-    "dateCreated": "2013-17-15",
+    "dateCreated": "2022-03-14",
     "datePublished": "2015-04-08",
-    "dateModified": "2024-19-03",
+    "dateModified": "2024-03-19",
     "downloadUrl": "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/cb/b5/893fadd5505e638a4c8788bf0a2f5a211f59f45203f3dfa3919469e83ed4/elephant-1.0.0.tar.gz",
     "issueTracker": "https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/elephant/issues",
     "name": "Elephant",
diff --git a/elephant/VERSION b/elephant/VERSION
index 49669234c..7f557f358 100644
--- a/elephant/VERSION
+++ b/elephant/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.1.0b1
+1.2.0b1