Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS)

What Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS) does

The Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1968 and headquartered at 16 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75005 Paris. Its stated mission is to bring established scientific knowledge to public debates on health, new technologies, and the environment, and to combat pseudoscience, misinformation, and charlatanism. AFIS operates a publishing and digital-content platform built around its flagship quarterly review Science et pseudo-sciences (357+ issues since 1968), the Afis Science website (3,745+ articles, articles older than 3 months openly accessible), and the Book-e-Book publishing house; distribution layers include a boutique e-commerce storefront, web2store MLP newsstands, native iOS and Android apps (Afis Science, launched January 2025 with a May 2024 iOS update), and a YouTube video channel.

The organization is entirely volunteer-run (5 stated personnel, founders-bénévoles model) and is funded exclusively by member dues (cotisations), magazine subscriptions, and book sales — there is no advertising in the review and no institutional or investor funding. Revenue mechanics consist of recurring annual magazine subscriptions, recurring membership fees, and one-time book/issue purchases at modest price points (e.g., 2€ shipping first issue, 1€ per additional, capped at 5€). Customer segments are horizontally distributed across science-literate general public, educators and science communicators, and healthcare professionals; physical-issue sales are restricted to metropolitan France and French overseas departments. EDAFIS (Éditions de l'AFIS, SIRET 447 763 780 00049) operates as a wholly-owned publishing subsidiary. AFIS is affiliated with the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) and maintains local committees (AFIS Loire Atlantique, AFIS Marseille et Provence) and partnerships with Astronef, À seconde vue, and GEMPPI.

Name

Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS)

Legal name

Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS)

Website

https://afis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AFIS is a French non-profit association (founded 1968) that publishes the quarterly review Science et pseudo-sciences, the Book-e-Book catalog, the Afis Science website, and mobile apps to promote rigorous science and counter pseudoscience, funded entirely by membership dues and sales from a volunteer base of 5.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313), All Other Publishers (513199)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts) (MPAJABAI)

Keywords

• Science communication
• Pseudoscience debunking
• Critical thinking education
• Scientific publishing
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from supporters of the association
2. Science & Pseudo-Sciences Magazine: Quarterly review sold by subscription and single issues. The review is published without advertising.
3. Book-e-Book Publishing: Publishing house producing books on scientific topics and critical thinking

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AFIS is a non-profit association that publishes the quarterly review Science et pseudo-sciences, runs a digital content website with 3,745+ articles, operates the Book-e-Book publishing house, and offers mobile applications. It promotes scientific information and combats pseudoscience in public debates on health, environment, and technology, funded by member dues and publication sales.

Product overview

AFIS operates as a non-profit scientific organization founded in 1968, offering a suite of information products centered on its quarterly review Science et pseudo-sciences and the main Afis Science website. The portfolio includes the Book-e-Book publishing house for books, native mobile applications for Android and iOS, and a YouTube channel for video content. The products work together to provide scientific information, critical analysis of pseudo-sciences, and resources for developing critical thinking on societal debates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science et pseudo-sciences (SPS) A quarterly review/magazine published by AFIS since 1968, featuring scientific articles, critical analysis of pseudo-sciences, and editorial content on science and society debates. Sold via subscription and individual issues.
• Afis Science Website Main digital platform offering access to articles from the Science et pseudo-sciences review covering scientific integrity, critical thinking, health, climate, and technology.
• Book-e-Book

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,745+ published articles available online
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFIS is affiliated with ECSO, the umbrella organization for European skeptical organizations, facilitating international collaboration in science communication and critical thinking advocacy.
• AFIS Loire AtlantiqueminorOthersLocal committee of AFIS operating in the Loire Atlantique region of France.
• AFIS Marseille et ProvenceminorOthersLocal committee of AFIS operating in the Marseille and Provence region of France.
• AstronefminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization with similar objectives in science communication and critical thinking.
• À seconde vueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization with similar objectives in science communication and critical thinking.
• GEMPPIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization with similar objectives in science communication and critical thinking.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Inserm: French national institute for health and medical research and a frequent subject/partner cited in AFIS coverage. Not a direct publishing competitor but a key authoritative scientific source AFIS references, debunks around, or could partner with.

Regional players

• ARP-SAPC (Asociación para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico): Spanish skeptic association affiliated with ESCSO. Spanish-language parallel to AFIS in mission, structure, and publishing cadence.
• CICAP (Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sulle Pseudoscienze): Italian skeptics committee, also part of the ECSO network. Comparable skeptic magazine/content operations for the Italian-language audience.
• GWUP (Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften): German skeptic organization and fellow ECSO member. Closest German-language regional peer; runs similar magazine and debunking activities but serves the DACH market.

Direct peers

• Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (Skeptical Inquirer): U.S.-based skeptic organization publishing the Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Closest international functional peer: same mission of debunking pseudoscience, same magazine-plus-website publishing model, and parallel ECSO/Skeptics ecosystem role.
• Pour la Science: The leading French monthly science magazine (French edition of Scientific American). Directly comparable as a French-language subscription science publication competing for the same science-curious reader.
• The Skeptics Society / Skeptic magazine: U.S.-based skeptic organization (Michael Sherman's group) publishing Skeptic magazine. Comparable as a subscription skeptic magazine with thematic deep-dives into pseudoscience claims.
• Center for Inquiry: International promoter of reason and science, affiliated with CSI. Comparable as an institutional skeptic organization with publishing, events, and advocacy operations.
• La Recherche: Major French monthly science magazine with deep editorial coverage of scientific method and controversies. Comparable in audience (educated French readers) and subscription-based magazine model.

Broad incumbents

• Science et Vie: France's largest mainstream science magazine; broader, advertiser-supported, and more populist than AFIS, but addresses the same French science-literate audience and competes for shelf space and subscription dollars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afis_science
• YouTubeyoutube.com/afis-science
• Facebookfacebook.com/Afis-Science-et-pseudo-sciences-165001693548888
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afis-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Association Française pour l'Information Scientifique (AFIS)