A guide to creating, governing, and sustaining a student-led think tank that achieves meaningful impact
Framed within the Building for the Future Initiative by Selenge Dima
This guide was created with valuable input from: Abirrami Gunalan (Warwick Think Tank), Sofia Barberis Canonico (Student Think Tank for Europe-Asia Relations, STEAR), Julia Gruber (Epis Think Tank), Theodor Himmel (Epis Think Tank), Vincent Lefebvre (Generation for Rights Over the World, GROW)
This guide is part of the Building for the Future Initiative, an effort led by On Think Tanks (OTT) to support the next generation of policy entrepreneurs.
The “Student-Led Think Tanks: A Guide“ was created for mission-driven youth leaders who want to establish their own student-led think tanks to influence decision-making in their communities. It is also a valuable resource for universities looking to provide students with opportunities to conduct independent research on public policy. Additionally, the guide serves as a tool for existing student-led think tanks to assess their organisations and address any challenges they may be facing.
This step-by-step guide covers key topics such as governance, funding, partnerships, communications, and impact. It includes case studies, examples, and insights from think tankers, illustrating how they structure their organisations and navigate challenges. Student-led think tanks played a crucial role in shaping this guide, as their detailed responses to OTT’s questionnaire informed our analysis. This guide was inspired by the “Build a think tank guide” from OTT.
The Building for the Future Initiative is part of the On Think Tanks Programme, the leading global source of information, support and community for people working in, with, and funding think tanks. The programme creates a space to connect, learn and exchange knowledge, ideas and resources with activities that include the OTT Conference, School for Thinktankers, State of the Sector report, Open Think Tank Directory, Funders Circle, and the Building for the Future initiative.
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