The Building for the Future initiative aims to support and strengthen student-led think tanks and enrich and broaden the points of view on policy matters and policy research questions. With support from the Open Society Foundations, OTT offers grants to selected student-led think tanks in Europe to enhance their leadership capabilities and foster new perspectives on European policy issues and research. Our current grantees are:
European Student Think Tank
The European Student Think Tank (EST) is a youth-led policy organisation committed to strengthening evidence-based policymaking and meaningful youth participation in European and global governance.
As a bridge between academia, institutions, and civil society, EST empowers young people to shape debates through research, events, and sustained international cooperation.
Leeds Policy Institute
Leeds Policy Institute (LPI) is a UK-based, student-led think tank affiliated with Leeds University Union, a registered UK charity. Established in April 2023, LPI is committed to producing empirically driven, non-partisan policy research that addresses both local and national challenges.
Their mission is to engage the student body in meaningful and rigorous policy discourse. They achieve this through the publication of annual flagship research reports, policy briefs, and student-authored opinion pieces. Beyond written output, they create an inclusive and intellectually vibrant space by hosting speaker panels and events that bring together thought leaders from across the political spectrum.
Student Network for Open Science
The Student Network for Open Science (NOS) is the first student-run Open Science journal, course platform, think tank, and research hub for the life and health sciences in the German-speaking world. Founded at Charité in 2020 (formerly Berlin Exchange Medicine, BEM), it has been officially funded by the Berlin University Alliance since autumn 2021.
NOS aims to shape the science of tomorrow by making student research visible, fostering critical reflection on the scientific system, providing scientific training, and enabling student-led research projects.
Activities & Support
During the third cycle of the initiative, OTT will support the selected think tanks by:
- Providing them with a grant to organise multi-regional events.
- Offering a place for one of their members to attend the School for Think Tankers.
- Offering a place for one of their members to attend the OTT conference and the opportunity to propose and organise a session during the conference.
Multi-regional events are gatherings where the selected student-led think tanks reframe European public policy issues with perspectives from other regions of the world to enrich and broaden the perspectives that inform public policy recommendations in Europe.
Testimonies
The best thing I learned during the Building for the Future Initiative was how tThe Building for the Future initiative is an amazing project to build the capacity of our team to produce better-informed research and to promote that research through events.
— Generation for Rights over the World (GROW)
This initiative helped us open doors to many more opportunities in the future.
— Warwick Think Tank
During the School for Thinktankers, we received a lot of help in understanding how to shape our own very young and growing student think tank better. The experience helped us clarify our vision and lay the foundations for future growth.
— Epis Think Tank
The multi-regional event fostered invaluable networking opportunities, enabling us to engage in meaningful conversations and connect with a diverse range of stakeholders.
— York Student Think Tank
The OTT conference provided me – and, by extension, the other student thinktankers in my society – with insights into the research and strategies of professional think tanks and allowed us to connect with professionals.
— The Wilberforce Society
Partner with us
Are you a funder interested in the work of student-led think tanks? Are you a university looking to set up a student-led think tank? We would love to hear from you. Please get in touch: [email protected]