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Think tanks have become an important part of Malaysia’s policymaking ecosystem. From public finance and governance to climate policy and online safety, governments face issues that are becoming more complex and interconnected. Independent policy research therefore plays an important role in helping policymakers understand these issues and make better decisions.
This is what makes the findings from the State of the Sector (SOS) 2026 Survey interesting. Conducted by On Think Tanks, with support from 24 regional partners including the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) in Malaysia, the survey gathered 295 responses from think tanks across 94 countries. It is not a ranking of which organisations are doing better than others. Instead, it gives us a sense of how think tanks are operating, the challenges they are facing and where they see opportunities. For Malaysia, a few findings are particularly worth noting.
The overall picture is fairly positive. Malaysian think tanks continue to engage policymakers, and organisations expect their funding and staffing levels to remain relatively stable. Their research also focuses on issues central to the current policy conversation, including the cost of living, transparency, and the green economy.
That said, funding remains a concern. Most Malaysian respondents rely on project-based grants and contracts, many of which run for one to two years. These come from a mix of government agencies, multilateral organisations, foundations and private donors. Having a diverse funding base is a good thing. The problem is that project-based funding can make it difficult for organisations to think beyond the next grant or project cycle.
This is particularly important for issues such as fiscal governance reform and political financing. These are not problems that can be solved in 12 months. They require years of research, continued engagement with policymakers, and sustained advocacy. Yet, the way many think tanks are funded does not always allow them to plan or invest for the longer term.
Malaysia is not alone in this. Funding was the biggest challenge for 64% of think tanks globally, while 54% rely primarily on project-based grants. This has implications beyond simply keeping projects running. It affects whether organisations can invest in their researchers, communications teams, and organisational development.
Another finding that stood out was the continued importance of policymakers as the main audience for Malaysian think tanks. This is encouraging. It shows that demand for research and evidence in policymaking remains strong. But getting a report onto a policymaker’s desk is no longer enough.
The Malaysian respondents also identified media coverage and citations as important measures of success. This reflects how think tanks’ role has changed. Research is still at the heart of what they do, but there is now much more emphasis on how they communicate it and who it reaches. Policymakers are one audience, but so are journalists, businesses, civil society organisations and the wider public.
Good research has little impact if nobody reads it, understands it, or uses it. This is why advocacy and communications have increasingly become part of the research process, rather than something that happens only after a report has been published. The challenge is to turn evidence into ideas people can understand and policymakers can act on, without losing the substance behind the research.
The issues identified in the survey also show where Malaysian think tanks are focusing their attention. Cost of living, the green economy, and transparency were among the most important national issues, while digital platform safety, political finance reform, and supply chain security were also identified as areas of work.
These are very different policy areas, but they also show why think tanks increasingly need to work across disciplines and with people outside the research community. Many of the problems governments face today do not fit neatly into one policy area.
This also puts pressure on think tanks themselves. Can they keep up? Funding is one challenge, but Malaysian respondents also pointed to talent development, staff retention and regulatory uncertainty. These issues may not get as much attention as a new report or policy recommendation, but they are fundamental to the sector.
A think tank’s biggest asset is its people. Building expertise takes years. If experienced researchers and advocacy professionals leave because organisations cannot offer the stability or opportunities they need, it becomes much harder to build institutional knowledge and maintain research quality over time.
AI is another area where the sector is changing quickly. Globally, 84% of think tanks surveyed said they are already using AI tools, particularly for communications and research. Interestingly, the Malaysian respondent indicated that their organisation has yet to integrate AI into its work.
The conversation is therefore moving quite quickly from whether think tanks should use AI to how they should use it. These tools could make some parts of the work more efficient, but they should not replace the researchers doing the thinking. For think tanks, maintaining rigorous, transparent and independent research has to remain the priority.
Taken together, the findings suggest that Malaysian think tanks are doing reasonably well. They remain engaged with policymakers, work on issues that matter, and expect their organisations to remain relatively stable in the near term.
But a healthy sector cannot be measured only by the number of reports being published or the number of policymakers being engaged.
Think tanks also need the space and resources to develop their people, sustain their work beyond individual projects, communicate research effectively and adapt to changes such as AI. Funders and partners also have a role to play here. If we want strong and independent policy institutions, we also need to think about how we support them over the long term.
For me, that is perhaps the bigger takeaway from the State of the Sector Survey. The value of think tanks isn’t simply producing more research. More information is available today than most people know what to do with.
The harder part is making sense of it. Knowing what evidence is, what is opinion, what is analysis, and what is simply a competing narrative. That is where independent think tanks still have an important role to play, helping policymakers and the public navigate an increasingly complicated policy environment.