Student think tanks work in a similar way to traditional think tanks, which are typically non-profit organisations run by students, including graduates and sometimes even young professionals. These can be associated with institutions such as universities or can even work independently. Each with its own particularities, they work as training platforms for future researchers, policymakers, and policy entrepreneurs.
As a member of the European Student Think Tank (EST), I had the chance to attend, as part of the Building for the Future Initiative, the 2026 OTT School for Thinktankers. Organised by On Think Tanks and hosted by Fundació Bofill in Barcelona, this was a week-long programme that provided participants from think tanks from all around the world with tools and knowledge to improve their organisations.
Looking back at the School for Thinktankers
This year marked 10 years since the initiative’s first edition. The five-day programme was an intensive training course with several sessions covering topics such as communication, funding, policy influence, leadership, organisational culture, etc. Besides these sessions taught by renowned industry experts, the School for Thinktankers was also an opportunity to visit local think tanks in the city, such as Fundación ”La Caixa” and CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs).
The sessions provided not only a theoretical approach to these topics but also exercises, case studies, and presentations, creating an engaging and dynamic environment for participants to connect with each other and gain a deeper understanding of the themes behind the programme.
As part of this year’s group, three representatives from student-led think tanks also had the opportunity to engage in the programme, which was a very nice touch, as students often bring fresh ideas and new approaches. Choosing to involve these kinds of think tanks is a unique approach taken by OTT, as it provides a closer look at the diversity of think tanks worldwide and helps strengthen the capabilities of future think leaders.
This programme provided us with valuable insights into how research and policy engagement connect in practice; the chance to meet with like-minded peers and see what they are developing; and a strong set of good practices that will certainly be much appreciated by all members of our organisations.
Lessons taken from the programme
One of the aspects that really stood out for me was the idea around a think tank’s identity – how a think tank operates on a day-to-day basis and how it keeps constantly evolving across time. Constantly thinking and rethinking our way going forward; understanding the reach of our visibility and engagement; and what is the real social impact that we wish to have with our initiatives in order to accomplish the goals behind the purpose of our think tank.
On another note, we also learned the importance of communication in the context of a think tank’s output. Although it is very important to consider the quality of all research initiatives, the content behind it and how data is accessed, it is also equally important to consider how your organisation’s work is communicated to your audience. After all, this is how you get others to see your work and, thus, a clear step forward for your research to create real impact. And this covers different aspects, such as branding, social media interaction and website design.
Thirdly, we also learned many valuable lessons around funding, which I found particularly interesting from the perspective of a member of a student-led think tank. Oftentimes, our organisations are made up of staff who are part-time workers or recent graduates/professionals in search of their first job. Furthermore, as an independent student think tank, we place a high value on funding opportunities. The content taught on funding and the accompanying exercises will be very important for us to understand how to identify and distinguish different kinds of funding/funders, as well as how to amplify our resources to strengthen our qualities.
These and many more lessons provided us at the EST with a lot of food for thought for boosting the growth of our student think tank, making us reflect on what we have done in the past, what actions we can take right now with this new knowledge, and how we can aim for further heights going forward.
Stepping towards the future
In short, participating in the School for Thinktankers was a unique opportunity to learn valuable knowledge and engage in exciting discussions with other policy experts from across the globe. I was very grateful to participate in such a well-crafted and thought-provoking programme, and especially to recognise the importance shown not only by OTT but also by all other participants in the School in involving student-led think tanks in these kinds of discussions.
Established in 2010, the European Student Think Tank has involved hundreds of young people in the European policy-making process through various research initiatives, events, and other activities. Throughout the years, we have helped promote the values of the European Union and Human Rights and have shaped the careers of many professionals who were former members of our organisation.
Coming back from Barcelona and reflecting on everything that I learned, I feel very eager to share this experience with my colleagues. The insights from this week will be important for understanding how we can strengthen our core ideas, goals and values, while also reinventing our identity to enhance aspects such as our capabilities, outreach and real social impact across Europe.
I highly recommend the School for Thinktankers to any future participants, as the programme exceeded my expectations and offered a captivating, intricate, and distinctive approach to the think tanks’ ecosystem.