Frequently asked questions
Renaissance Numérique regularly produces documents in which you can find answers to your questions about who we are and what we do :
- Our statutes, our code of ethics, our internal regulations,
- Our activity reports,
- Our membership composition with all its diversity,
- Our publications, their reliability and the fact that they reflect a plurality of perspectives.
Some questions arise regularly, and we would like to provide brief answers to them.
Q. Is Renaissance Numérique an independent think tank ?
Yes.
Our independence is based on several pillars.
1. Our purpose
Renaissance Numérique is a non-profit association under the French law of 1901, established in 2005. Independent of any political, economic or institutional organisation, we act in the service of civil society and the public interest. We are not affiliated with any structure : our action is autonomous, including with regard to the actors we bring together.
2. Methodology
3. Governance
In January 2026, Renaissance Numérique had 43 members, broken down as follows :
- 8 associations, cooperatives and federations
- 19 companies of various types and sizes
- 9 public sector or academic research organisations
- 7 law firms
Each member has one vote, regardless of the amount of their membership fee. At the beginning of 2026, the major digital companies known as « GAFAM » represent only four votes out of forty-five at the General Assembly and only one seat among the fourteen members of the Board of Directors.
4. The economic model
Membership fees are published transparently on our website. They range from 60 euros to 20 000 euros. Our latest activity report (2024) indicates that no membership fee exceeds 7,12 % of the think tank’s total resources.
We do not receive any public subsidies.
The amount of the contribution has no influence on the direction, content or publication of our work.
Q. Is Renaissance Numérique politicised ?
No. We are not an offshoot of the Renaissance political party. We have had the same name since… 2005.
We are a completely independent think tank, founded on freedom of thought and plurality of opinion. Each member of Renaissance Numérique naturally retains their personal convictions and commitments. However, when a person chooses to become actively or visibly involved in politics in direct connection with our activities, they withdraw from their position within the think tank in order to preserve our neutrality.
The members of Renaissance Numérique are mainly legal entities, with a few individual memberships for academics. We do not accept memberships from organisations whose main activity is political and/or activist (political parties, trade unions, etc.).
We have recently created an associate membership status to allow people working in the public sector (international organisations, regulators, administrations) to participate in our work on a personal basis, even though the organisations they work for cannot become members.
Q. Is Renaissance Numérique a « lobby group » ?
No.
Renaissance Numérique is an association registered with the transparency register of the HATVP (High Authority for Transparency in Public Life) and the European Commission. This reflects our commitment to transparency in our activities and our interactions with public decision-makers.
However, Renaissance Numérique is not a lobby group within the meaning of French law. We do not represent any interests and do not defend any private interests.
As an independent think tank, our mission is to produce analyses, findings and proposals aimed at informing public debate on digital issues. We do not participate in drafting legislation, nor do we draft amendments or ‘ready-made’ reform proposals. Finally, in the interests of transparency, all our work is published in full on our website, where it is accessible to everyone.