Launch to Open – FAQs

What is Launch to Open? Launch to Open (L2O) is a transparent framework for open access developed by EMS Press. It is designed to help established journals move toward open access through community support, with clear publication targets and full visibility of costs.

How is L2O different from Subscribe to Open? Like Subscribe to Open, L2O relies on institutional support rather than APCs. What distinguishes it is its transparency: costs, targets and revenue allocation are published for each journal. In addition, regular progress updates on subscription income are shared publicly, 

Which journals are included in the 2027 round? The 2027 Launch to Open round includes Foundations of Computational Mathematics and Archiv der Mathematik.

Why aren't the L2O journals included in the main EMS Press package? The standard EMS Press S2O journals package uses our revenue federation model to support open access across the portfolio. Revenue from the package is shared among the 22 included titles according to need, with some upper limits on shared allocations. The L2O journals are new to the portfolio and do not yet have an established revenue track record. For that reason, we need to ensure that they are financially sustainable before adding them to the main package. This also ensures that revenue is not diverted from the established titles in the core portfolio. Full package subscribers who also subscribe to both L2O journals will receive a 20% discount on those titles, in line with the overall package discount.

How does the model work? Each journal has a published annual target. Subscriptions contribute directly towards that target. If the target is met, the journal publishes open access for that year. If it is not met, the journal remains closed and is only accessible to subscribing institutions.

What happens if the target is met? The journal’s volume for that year is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence. After a successful L2O round, the journal moves into the standard EMS Press Subscribe to Open programme.

What happens if the target is not met? The journal remains available to subscribers only for that year. Subscribers retain access to the content included in their subscription, and a new target is calculated for the following year based on any changes to costs.

How long can a journal remain in Launch to Open? Journals may remain in the L2O programme for a maximum of three years.

What happens if a journal has not achieved a successful round within three years? In the unlikely event that a successful round has not been achieved within that period, EMS Press will consult with existing subscribers and the journal owners on possible future paths to open access, and will communicate the outcome to the wider community in a timely manner.

Can authors still meet open access requirements if the target is not met? Yes. Regardless of the outcome, EMS Press supports immediate Green OA. Authors may make the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) available immediately under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

What does a subscription include? A subscription guarantees archive access, perpetual access to subscribed volumes, and access to online-first articles with an active subscription.

When is the decision deadline? For the 2027 round, subscriptions count towards the target until 31 January 2027.