The Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes (PPUR), currently operating under its primary brand name EPFL Press, is one of the most prominent independent academic and scientific publishing houses in Switzerland. Founded on October 23, 1980, by the Swiss professor and politician Jacques Neirynck, this prestigious foundation established its headquarters on the campus of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), specifically within the iconic Rolex Learning Center. This strategic location has granted the institution a direct and close connection to the advanced scientific research environment and academic innovation of the French-speaking region of Switzerland.
The core mission of the publishing house is to enrich scientific and educational content by publishing and distributing specialized works, academic research, and textbooks designed for higher education. This mission extends beyond serving Swiss institutions to reaching the global academic arena. Throughout a journey spanning more than four decades, the publisher has built a massive intellectual portfolio that includes over 1,200 titles in its catalog. It has achieved impressive distribution milestones, delivering more than two million books to researchers and students worldwide, while maintaining a steady annual production rate of approximately 50 new titles covering various fields of human and technical knowledge.
To ensure effective engagement with all types of readers, the institution has diversified its publishing lines through several specialized brands. The flagship brand, EPFL Press, remains the primary vehicle for publishing formal sciences, various branches of engineering, architecture, and urban planning. It features high-quality English-language publications that enjoy global distribution thanks to a strategic partnership with the international British publisher Taylor & Francis. Conversely, the publisher reaches out to the general public and cultural enthusiasts through its Quanto collection, which focuses on popularizing complex science in an engaging style, and the Éditions 41 line, which addresses contemporary societal issues in an accessible manner to enrich public discourse.
Furthermore, the foundation pays special attention to Swiss identity and history through its renowned pocket encyclopedia series, Le Savoir Suisse, launched in 2002 to provide concise, authoritative studies on Swiss history, culture, politics, and economy. In step with modern digital transformations and the global movement toward open science, the publisher established the Épistémé brand to solidify its Open Access policy within the humanities and social sciences. This initiative allows researchers to access high-quality studies freely and without restrictions, reaffirming the institution's role as a vital knowledge bridge connecting elite academic output with the broader global community.
