Common Questions

What is the Bertelsmann Stiftung Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty?

The Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS) is a cross-sector initiative run by Bertelsmann Stiftung that brings together European policymakers, industry and civil society to develop frameworks for strategic technological resilience and sovereignty.Source: Sovereign Tech Europe conference programme

Is Bertelsmann Stiftung connected to the Bertelsmann media company?

Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent operating foundation, legally and financially separate from the Bertelsmann media group, though both trace back to the same founding family. The Stiftung conducts its own research and policy work rather than serving commercial interests.

Who is Martin Hullin at Bertelsmann Stiftung?

Martin Hullin is associated with Bertelsmann Stiftung's Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS). He represented the network at the open-source panel of the Sovereign Tech Europe conference in Brussels on 23 April 2026.Source: Sovereign Tech Europe conference programme

Background

Bertelsmann Stiftung is a major German operating foundation, independent of the Bertelsmann media group's commercial operations, that conducts policy research and dialogue across education, democracy, social cohesion and economic policy. On technology, it runs the Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS), a cross-sector initiative that brings together European policy actors, industry and civil society to develop frameworks for assessing and building strategic technological resilience. Martin Hullin represented the ETRS network at the open-source panel of the Sovereign Tech Europe conference in Brussels on 23 April 2026, alongside Paul Sharratt of Sovereign Tech Agency Germany.

Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany, Bertelsmann Stiftung is one of the largest private operating foundations in Europe by assets. Its work is structured through permanent programme areas rather than grant-making; it employs researchers and convenes expert networks directly. The ETRS network it operates sits at the intersection of technology policy, supply-chain resilience and democratic governance, making it a natural participant in EU-level sovereignty debates.

The foundation's ETRS work brings a granular analytical lens to the EU sovereignty debate, examining specific dependencies, semiconductor supply chains, cloud infrastructure, critical software, rather than advocating a single policy remedy. Its Brussels summit participation places Gütersloh-rooted research capacity alongside Brussels-based regulatory and industry voices in the same room.

How the World Sees Them

Germany

Bertelsmann Stiftung is a canonical German civil-society voice in EU policy discussions, lending analytical credibility to sovereignty frameworks that might otherwise read as political rhetoric.

Industry

The ETRS network's cross-sector membership model gives industry a non-lobbying channel to engage with resilience frameworks, in contrast to trade associations like CISPE.

Academic community

The Stiftung occupies a policy-bridge role between academic research and actionable regulatory recommendations, giving its ETRS output a different register from academic papers.

European Commission

Independent foundations like Bertelsmann provide the Commission with external research capacity and convening power to test policy ideas before they enter the legislative pipeline.