OTT Conference 2026: Think tanks and trust
From 19 to 21 May 2026, more than 148 think tank leaders, researchers, and policy professionals from 50 countries gathered in Rabat, Morocco, for the 10th annual OTT Conference, hosted in partnership with the Policy Center for the New South. This year’s theme, Think Tanks and Trust, explored how think tanks can build, sustain, and rebuild trust in an increasingly fragmented and polarised world.
Across keynote speeches and more than 20 plenary and parallel sessions, participants reflected on the relationship between trust, credibility, and influence. Discussions explored organisational resilience, trusted think tank brands, collaboration across sectors, alternative funding models, and the role of transparency and public engagement in strengthening policy influence and public debate.
The conference also created space for exchange and community-building through peer-assist sessions, regional conversations, networking opportunities, and the now-traditional “Unpopular Opinion” sing-along and “Screw-up Night”. These moments encouraged openness, reflection, and honest discussion about the challenges facing think tanks today.
We are grateful to all those who made this collective effort possible — our speakers, participants, partners, and sponsors — for their generous support and commitment to strengthening the global think tank community.
As we reflect on these discussions, we are pleased to share a series of materials capturing the key moments, lessons, and ideas from the Conference.
To know more about the OTT Conference 2026 and previous Conferences, please visit our OTT Conferences page.
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Parallel session summaries
Read the short summaries for each of the parallel sessions here, or scroll down to deep-dive into detailed insights, resources from the sessions, and more —
DAY 1
Session 1A: Stop complaining about the trust deficit +
Session 1B: Building a trusted think tank brand +
Session 1C: The currency of credibility: Building trust to secure unrestricted and less-restricted funds +
Session 1D: The inside job: Organisational culture as a strategic asset for think tanks +
Session 1E: The future of think tanks starts now! +
Session 2A: Trust among think tanks +
Session 2B: Universities and think tanks: Strategic alliances for knowledge, impact, and sustainability +
Session 2C: Mobilising domestic funding: What think tanks can do +
Session 2D: Trust in others: Collaboration with governments, funders, academia, and implementers +
Session 2E: Your research is good, but does anyone know that? Building a trust infrastructure for think tanks +
DAY 2
Session 3A: Regional think tanks – opportunities and challenges +
Session 3B: Forget core funding: Alternative income streams for resilient think tanks +
Session 3C: Funder restrictions and how to work around them +
Session 3D: Can AI become trust infrastructure? +
Session 4A: T7 and T20: Lessons for greater global think tank cooperation +
Session 4B: The role of student-led think tanks: education, impact, and professionalisation +
Session 4C: 2026 State of the Sector Report: Hacking the data +
Session 4D: From trust gap to trust infrastructure: The role of think tanks in rebuilding institutional confidence +
Building a stronger community sessions
The Conference hosted sessions for participants to share new initiatives, share regional perspectives and seek support.
Unlocking global impact for southern think tanks+
Understanding Chinese think tanks: an opportunity for collaboration+
Knowledge creation in the age of AI+
How to build, sustain and fund cross-regional collaboration+
University-think tank partnerships: building mutually beneficial opportunities for students, faculty and think tanks+
US-Bangladesh NextGen Fellowship and Policy Institute+
The Partnership for Economic Policy+
In conversation with keynote speakers at the OTT Conference 2026: Erica Schoder & Héctor Cárdenas
Public Trust and the Future of Policy Institutions in Africa with Denis Foretia
Think Tanks, Influence, and the Evolution of Impact Measurement with Kareem Makhlouf
Universities and Think Tanks in the Global South: Towards New Knowledge Ecosystems with Florencia Rubiolo
Can Think Tanks Build the Missing Infrastructure for Sustainable Value Chains? with Ingmar Juergens
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On Think Tanks is the leading global source of information, support and community for people working in, with and funding think tanks. We create a space to connect, learn and exchange knowledge, ideas and resources.
We also offer bespoke services for think tanks and policy research organisations but we always seek to share what we learn from OTT’s consulting projects back through On Think Tanks, so that more people and organisations can benefit from it.
Our efforts are currently possible thanks to partnerships with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Mercator Stiftung, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, the Robert Bosch Foundation, Open Society Foundations and other funders supporting the programme or individual projects.