EMS Press announces Launch to Open – a transparent new approach to open access

EMS Press is introducing Launch to Open (L2O), a new model designed to help established journals move toward open access with clear costs, shared responsibility and community support. Like other community-based open access models, L2O distributes responsibility across subscribing institutions. What distinguishes L2O is its financial transparency; disclosing the full costs, targets and allocation of subscription revenue for each title. In doing so, it gives subscribers a clear view of what it costs to sustain high-quality, community-led publishing without seeking excessive profits.

Speaking on the model, Head of Business Development Laura Simonite said: “We gathered feedback from both journal owners and our subscribers when developing this model. What we heard clearly was a strong desire for community-based initiatives centred on transparency, sustainability and fairness. By publishing our target and the cost distribution for each title in the programme, we show what it costs to publish journals to a high standard. At the same time, we make clear that we are not seeking excessive profits from these publications, and we hope libraries will commit their budgets to the principles they have told us they value.”

Launch to Open will debut with two well-established journal titles – Foundations of Computational Mathematics (FoCM) and Archiv der Mathematik (AdM). EMS Press will begin publishing these titles from 1 January 2027, and subscriptions are now open.

CEO André Gaul added: “A significant barrier to journals leaving large commercial publishers – and their packages – is the lack of an individual subscriber base. By demonstrating what it costs to operate established journals like FoCM and AdM, we hope to share responsibility for their future with our library colleagues, who may decide to reallocate budgets away from commercial publishers. As a society publisher, we see it as our mission to make that possible by taking on the initial financial risk. Ultimately, the long-term future of these journals under a community-led model will depend on whether libraries choose to support them.”

The L2O deadline for both titles is 31 January 2027, with all subscriptions purchased before this date counting towards the target. Early Adopter prices, multi-year subscriptions and package offers are also available, all of which provide a discount on standard pricing. A subscription guarantees archive access, perpetual access to subscribed volumes, and access to online first articles, regardless of the L2O result. 

Readers can find a fuller explanation of the model, including how targets are set and how subscriptions contribute, on our dedicated Launch to Open page.

Please contact communications@ems.press with all enquiries.

Download this press release.