The Building for the Future Initiative aims to strengthen student-led think tanks and enrich and broaden the perspectives that inform public policy recommendations in Europe. OTT is currently implementing the first cycle of the initiative by supporting three student-led think tanks in Europe:
The Security Distillery
The Security Distillery is a student-run think tank founded by students of the 2017-2019 cohort of the International Masters in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies (IMSISS) programme, which is collectively awarded by the University of Glasgow, Dublin City University, University of Trento and Charles University Prague.
The Wilberforce Society
The Wilberforce Society, founded in 2009, is the oldest student think tank in the UK. It is based at the University of Cambridge and is an independent student think tank with the mission of promoting constructive and intelligent debate in Cambridge.
TWS prides itself on producing rigorously researched, nonpartisan policy papers on pertinent issues. These have included ‘The Brexit Report’, a comprehensive analysis of the impact of Brexit on Cambridge presented at the European Parliament.
York Student Think Tank
Since 2012, the University of York’s student think tank has provided students with a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the public sphere. Through this platform, students not only contribute to important societal issues but also develop valuable skills that enhance their personal and professional growth.
Activities & Support
During the first 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
The multi-regional events are gatherings where European 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.
During the first cycle, each student-led think tank will implement 3 multi-regionalevents.
These are the events that have been implemented during this cycle:
- Artificial Intelligence and the Policies of the Future: The Challenges of Regulating AI (The Wilberforce Society)
- Education policies in the North of England: adopting a global lens (YorkStudent Think Tank)
- Navigating Migration Challenges: The Canary Islands Case (The SecurityDistillery)
- European Mediation between State and Non-state Actors in the Middle East (The Security Distillery)
Watch one of our multi-regional events! On September 6th, the Security Distillery held one of its multi-regional events online. You can watch the full recording here.
School for Thinktankers
Three think tankers from student-led think tanks participated in the 2024 School for Thinktankers. Read the blogs about their experiences below!
- The importance of a clear think tank theme and brand: takeaways from the OTT School for Thinktankers 2024
- OTT School for Thinktankers 2024: a student think tanker’s perspective
OTT Conference
The 2024 OTT Conference in Barcelona welcomed three think tankers from student-led think tanks who actively participated in sessions, had a dedicated workshop to fine-tune their multi-regional event proposals, and even co-chaired a session.
Read about their experiences in the blog below:
And check out the key takeaways from one of the sessions, co-chaired by The SecurityDistillery member Joel Moffat.