OTT Conference 2020 – think tanks and technology

Organised by On Think Tanks
Event type Conference
Location Online
Start date

Most sessions will touch on other issues concerning think tanks’ changing contexts, governance and management challenges, the changing nature of the funding landscape funding landscape, the future of research communications, gender and diversity, etc. Watch the full OTT Conference 2020: the online event.

Who is this for?

The Conference is for think tank leaders and thinktankers, policy entrepreneurs in the field of evidence informed policymaking, policy research funders and think tank scholars who are interested in critical unpacking the think tank label, addressing the opportunities and challenges these organisations face, and exploring the changes within and around them.

The Conference is a perfect space to:

  • Present new research on think tanks or evidence informed policy and seek feedback from fellow participants;
  • Seek out help or support from peers to address a challenge or take advantage of an emerging opportunity;
  • Explore new collaboration and launch new partnerships;
  • Learn about think tanks, how to fund and support them, how best to work with them, etc.

Partnership and support

All our Conferences are delivered in partnership.

In 2020 the OTT Conference is delivered in partnership with:

  • German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) – that will co-host the Conference.
  • The German Development Institute (DIE) and the Managing Global Governance Network (MGG) – that will be providing support for the participation of think tanks from emerging economies.
  • The Robert Bosch Foundation (RBSG) – that will host the public event on the first day.
  • Universidad del Pacifico (Peru) -who host the OTT team in Lima
  • Soapbox – who support the design of the OTT Conference

And with the kind support from:

  • The Open Society Foundations: Open Society Initiative for Europe (Berlin) and the Economic Justice Program (New York)
  • Stiftung Mercator
  • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

This year we have launched two Communities of Practice (CoP) led by close partners. The Belgrade Center for Security Studies (BCSP) will lead a CoP on state capture and the impact on think tanks. Southern Hemisphere, in South Africa, and DGAP, in Germany, will lead a CoP on monitoring and learning with think tanks. They have led the design of two parallel sessions during the Conference.