Launch to Open: an interview with the editors of FoCM

“Launch to Open offers a transparent and sustainable way to expand the reach of research in our field while keeping the journal aligned with the values of the mathematical community.”

From left: Editor-in-Chief Christophe Ritzenthaler, Editor-in-Chief Markus Bachmayr and Consulting Editor-in-Chief Teresa Krick.

Why is this journal important to the field?

Foundations of Computational Mathematics (FoCM) occupies a unique place at the interface between mathematics and computation. The journal publishes work that uncovers the deep mathematical structures underlying modern computational methods, drawing on areas such as analysis, algebra, geometry, topology, dynamical systems, optimization, numerical analysis, and theoretical computer science. Many of the ideas first developed in this community later influence broad areas of science and engineering: numerical simulation, machine learning, signal processing, optimization, and data science. By bringing together researchers from diverse mathematical disciplines around computational questions, the journal helps shape the theoretical framework that guides the development of reliable and powerful computational tools.

Why did you decide to move the journal to EMS Press?

As an editorial board, we strongly believe that the future of mathematical publishing must be community-driven. Moving from a large commercial publisher to EMS Press, the publishing house of the European Mathematical Society, aligns our journal with the core values of the academic community. The European Mathematical Society has a long-standing commitment to supporting high-quality mathematical publishing while ensuring that the interests of the mathematical community remain central. Furthermore, EMS is a non-profit entity dedicated to mathematics; any surplus is reinvested into supporting the mathematical community. Ultimately, EMS Press offers an environment where editorial independence, scientific quality, and sustainable access models are prioritised.

Why should research in this area be openly available?

The FoCM community is international, with roots in many different branches of mathematics, and the funding available to authors and readers varies strongly between countries and institutions. The published research, often publicly funded, should be accessible to everyone regardless of national and institutional boundaries. At the same time, authors should not be prevented from publishing in FoCM by a lack of funding or by not being covered by institutional agreements.

What would it mean for the journal to publish full open access in future?

Publishing Open Access means that the final, peer-reviewed versions of our articles are immediately and freely available to anyone with an internet connection. But crucially, for FoCM, our vision of full open access means achieving this without shifting the financial burden onto the authors through Article Processing Charges (APCs). True open access must be open to read and open to publish, ensuring that financial barriers are eliminated on both sides of the publication process so that the best science can be published regardless of an author's funding status.

Why did you support the Launch to Open approach?

We championed the Launch to Open programme because it provides a transparent, equitable, and sustainable pathway to Open Access. Instead of relying on author-facing charges, this approach relies on the collective, continued support of institutional libraries via the Subscribe to Open model.  As long as enough libraries commit to their standard subscriptions, the journal's entire volume is "flipped" to open access for the world. It is a collaborative model that relies on academic solidarity and shared investment in open science.

What would you say to libraries considering supporting the journal?

Your support is what makes community-driven, equitable open science possible. By subscribing to FoCM through EMS Press, you are doing much more than securing access for your own faculty and students — you are actively participating in the transformation of academic publishing. Your subscription directly funds the Launch to Open transition, ensuring that high-quality, foundational mathematical research is freely available globally without charging authors. We invite you to partner with us in building a fairer, more sustainable, and community-owned future for mathematical publishing.

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Support Launch to Open

Continued support from libraries and institutions makes it possible for participating journals to move towards open access without charging authors. Learn more about Launch to Open and how to support the journal.