The EPFL Press

Academic and Scientific Book Publishingepflpress.org

The EPFL Press is a Swiss non-profit university press publishing scientific and academic books across six imprints, serving researchers, students, and general readers through print, watermarked eBooks, and an Open Access program via its own e-commerce site and the Perlego library.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What The EPFL Press does

The EPFL Press, formally the Fondation des Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes (PPUR), is a Swiss non-profit university press founded in 1980 and headquartered at the Rolex Learning Center on the EPFL campus in Lausanne. The press publishes academic and scientific works primarily originating from EPFL and a network of Swiss higher education institutions, operating through six imprints: EPFL Press, EPFL Press English Imprint, Quanto (popular science), Savoir suisse (Swiss knowledge), Éditions 41, and Épistémé (epistemology). Its catalog spans more than 20 subject areas including engineering, physics, mathematics, environmental sciences, management, architecture, and human sciences.

The core product is a portfolio of printed books and watermarked eBooks (PDF and ePub) sold directly via the epflpress.org e-commerce platform and distributed globally through the Perlego digital library, with a free Open Access program for selected titles. Unit prices range from approximately €9.90 to €145.00. The business model is primarily transactional (one-time purchase of print or digital content) augmented by free Open Access offerings; the press is funded through book sales and operates as a foundation rather than a revenue-driven enterprise. Customer segments include academic researchers and students, scientific and technical professionals, and general readers interested in popular science. The press maintains a small staff of 17 employees and relies on partnerships with EPFL, UNIL, UNIGE, UNIFR, HEPIA, and HES-SO as its primary content supply network, supplemented by unique collaborations such as with Swiss federal armaments office Armasuisse on hybrid research-fiction titles.

The EPFL Press firmographics

Firmographics

Name: The EPFL Press
Legal name: Fondation des Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes (PPUR)
Website: https://epflpress.org
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: The EPFL Press is a Swiss non-profit university press publishing scientific and academic books across six imprints, serving researchers, students, and general readers through print, watermarked eBooks, and an Open Access program via its own e-commerce site and the Perlego library.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

The EPFL Press industry classification

Industry

Product category: Academic and Scientific Book Publishing
NAICS: Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
SIC: Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
akta.pro primary industry: Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)
akta.pro secondary industries: Interdisciplinary/General Education & Study Skills (EDAGABAN), Higher Education Textbook Publishing (MPAJABAB)

Keywords

Academic publishing
University press books
Scientific eBooks
Open access publishing
Scholarly books

Where The EPFL Press is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Lausanne
HQ country: Switzerland
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

The EPFL Press business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Printed Book Sales: Sale of printed scientific, technical, and general interest books published by EPFL Press and related imprints, covering disciplines from Swiss universities and higher education institutions.
eBook Sales: Digital book sales in formats including PDF and ePub, with personalized digital watermarking for copyright protection.
Open Access Publishing: Open access publishing services for academic works, with some titles available free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
One time/ perpetual license	Pay-as-you-go	Physical books - various price points
One time/ perpetual license	Pay-as-you-go	eBook formats (PDF, ePub)
Freemium	Pay-as-you-go	Open Access publications

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

The EPFL Press product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The EPFL Press publishes and sells academic and scientific books in both printed and digital (PDF, ePub) formats, drawing on research and teaching from EPFL and partner Swiss universities across 20+ disciplines including physics, engineering, mathematics, life sciences, environment, management, and humanities. It operates six imprints (EPFL Press, EPFL Press English Imprint, Quanto, Éditions 41, Savoir suisse, Épistémé), organizes themed collections such as Traité d'Électricité and Focus Science, and offers a free Open Access program for selected scholarly titles.

Product overview

EPFL Press is a university press publishing academic and scientific works primarily from EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Swiss universities, and other higher education institutions. The company operates as a multi-imprint publishing house offering both printed books and eBooks in French and English across scientific, technical, and human sciences disciplines. The portfolio includes core print and digital book offerings, an Open Access program for free scholarly publications, and several specialized imprints: EPFL Press (main academic imprint), EPFL Press English Imprint (international publications), Quanto (popular science), and Savoir suisse (Swiss human sciences). Publications are organized into thematic collections such as Traité d'Électricité, Focus Science, Physique, and Gérer l'environnement. The company sells directly through its e-commerce platform and distributes via the Perlego online library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

EPFL Press English Imprint: English-language academic publications imprint
Quanto
Savoir suisse
Épistémé

Products and services

Printed Books Physical printed academic and scientific books published by EPFL Press and associated university presses, covering sciences, engineering, management, and humanities. Sold globally via epflpress.org with secure payment processing.
eBooks (ePub/PDF) Digital versions of EPFL Press publications available in ePub and PDF formats for electronic reading and download, with watermarking and personalization for copyright protection.
Open Access Publications Free academic publications available under an Open Access model, including titles such as H2O 2047, Le report modal, Les bactéries font de la résistance, and Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Students, freely downloadable as PDFs.
Thematic Collections (Traité d'Électricité, Focus Science, Physique, Gérer l'environnement, Enjeux mondiaux, etc.) Organized thematic book series sold as curated collections, including Traité d'Électricité (electrical engineering), Focus Science, Physique, Gérer l'environnement, Enjeux mondiaux, and other specialized academic collections.

Companies that use The EPFL Press

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

The EPFL Press technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

The EPFL Press partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPFL Press serves as the official publishing house for EPFL, publishing works of teaching and research from the institution.
University of Lausanne (UNIL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIL is a key partner institution whose research and teaching publications are disseminated through EPFL Press.
University of Geneva (UNIGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNIGE for publishing academic works from this major Swiss university.
University of Neuchâtel (HEPIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HES institution for publishing specialized technical and scientific content.
Hautes écoles spécialisées (HES)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences for publishing applied research and professional education content.
PerlegominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerlego is an online library platform through which EPFL Press titles are distributed to readers globally.
ArmasuisseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss federal armaments office that collaborated on 'H2O 2047', providing prospective research data for the science fiction novel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

The EPFL Press competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Oxford University Press: One of the largest university presses, publishing academic monographs, textbooks, and reference works globally. Comparable in combining a scholarly monograph program with a broader educational and reference catalog.
De Gruyter: International academic publisher with strong humanities and sciences monograph programs. Comparable in publishing institutional and scholarly content across multiple disciplines, with growing Open Access offerings.
MIT Press: University press specializing in science, technology, engineering, and design — directly overlapping with EPFL Press's core technical and scientific disciplines. Closely comparable niche within academic publishing.
Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): Historic French academic publisher covering humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Highly comparable to EPFL Press in Francophone academic publishing orientation and scholarly monograph focus.
Cambridge University Press: University press publishing academic and scientific books and journals with similar institutional ties to a major research university. Comparable scope of scholarly monograph and textbook publishing across scientific and humanities disciplines.
Birkhäuser: Historically Swiss academic publisher specializing in mathematics, sciences, and architecture. Directly overlaps with EPFL Press's scientific and technical monograph program; now an imprint of De Gruyter.

Broad incumbents

Wiley: Global academic and scientific publisher with extensive monograph and journal programs. Overlaps with EPFL Press in scientific and technical content, though at much larger scale.
Springer Nature: Largest academic publisher globally, covering STM and humanities books and journals. Competes with EPFL Press for the same Swiss and European academic authors but at vastly greater scale.
OECD Publishing: Publisher of institutional research and policy reports; comparable in producing authoritative scientific and policy content on a non-commercial basis, though focused on economic and policy research.

Emerging players

Frontiers: Swiss-based open access publisher with strong STEM journal portfolio. Comparable in operating from Switzerland with an open access model, though primarily journals rather than monographs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

The EPFL Press financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

The EPFL Press leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

The EPFL Press subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries5 records

The EPFL Press funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

The EPFL Press M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The EPFL Press

What does The EPFL Press do?

Is The EPFL Press a public or private company?

The EPFL Press is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was The EPFL Press founded?

The EPFL Press was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is The EPFL Press based?

The EPFL Press is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.

How does The EPFL Press make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Printed Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are eBook Sales and open Access Publishing.

Who are The EPFL Press's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Oxford University Press, De Gruyter, MIT Press, Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), Cambridge University Press and Birkhäuser. Broad incumbents are Wiley, Springer Nature and OECD Publishing. Frontiers is listed as an emerging player.

Does The EPFL Press have an API?

No public API is recorded for The EPFL Press.

What industry is The EPFL Press in?

The EPFL Press's product category is Academic and Scientific Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAJ, Research Monographs & University Press Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGABAN, Interdisciplinary/General Education & Study Skills. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.