The School for Thinktankers is a transformative programme designed to strengthen leadership skills, empowering thinktankers to effectively manage and innovate within their organisations.
It addresses a critical gap in the think tank sector: many leaders, typically researchers by background, progress without the essential skills to effectively manage think tanks. Beyond research and policy expertise, leaders are required to be skilled fundraisers, communicators and managers capable of driving impactful organisations.
Since 2017, our programme has responded to this need.
We have leveraged over 14 years of international think tank experience to equip think tank leaders and strengthen the sector’s capacity for evidence-informed change. The 2025 School for Thinktankers will be held in Barcelona, Spain, from 3-7 February.
Applications are now open for the 2026 School
What to expect
The School is a one-week programme. It is taught by current and former think tank directors and expert practitioners.
The curriculum is designed around the key pillars of effective think tank leadership and is informed by OTT’s extensive experience in evaluating and strengthening think tank capacities. The 2025 edition will focus on the following thematic areas.
- Think tanks across the policy ecosystem
- Good governance and people management
- Finance for non-financial managers
- Communications for impact
- Policy influence and partnerships for change
- Future-proofing think tanks
You will participate in sessions conducted by seasoned practitioners and observational tours of local think tanks. You will have the opportunity to exchange with your peers from a globally diverse cohort, network with think tank experts and have access to key resources such as curated reading lists, background notes and toolkits.
Upon completing the School, you will receive a certificate of participation and join our alumni community of over 250 thinktankers worldwide.
Who can join
The School is ideal for established and emerging think tank leaders who want to challenge themselves, broaden their knowledge and build impactful organisations.
We also welcome academics with a policy interest, funders in evidence-informed policy, policy professionals in the public sector, development sector professionals, policy entrepreneurs interested in establishing their think tanks, and career-changers.
Our partners
The School for Thinktankers 2026 will be delivered in partnership with Fundació Bofill. It is also made possible through the long-standing support of the Hewlett Foundation and the Robert Bosch Foundation. Past School partners and supporters also include Bruegel, Southern Voice, Universidad del Pacífico, foraus, The Think Tank Hub-Geneva, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Think Tank Initiative, and IDRC.
Enrique Mendizabal on why he started the School for Thinktankers
Simon Maxwell on the different dimensions of thinktanking