Dear OTT Community,
We’ve just returned from the milestone 10th edition of the School for Thinktankers!
Here’s what they had to say —
Much of the conversation moved beyond technical fixes to focus on organisational coherence—how to align strategy, systems, and teams; move away from short-term, project-driven decision-making; and articulate relevance in increasingly complex and contested policy environments. Learning extended well beyond the classroom through site visits, real-life simulations, and candid peer exchanges, prompting a shared rethinking of leadership not just as a role, but as an internal practice rooted in culture, trust, and shared purpose. By the end of the week, the School was a community space just as much it was a training programme—replacing professional isolation with a sense of belonging to a global network facing common challenges.
The impact of that week is now travelling back with participants into their organisations. Many came to the School looking for practical support on core institutional challenges, including:
Fundraising, financial management, and strategic planning in a constrained funding landscape
Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) to better capture research and policy impact
Communications for impact and policy engagement
People management and leadership across growing or transitioning teams
Participants are returning with concrete plans to act, such as:
Redesigning impact and learning frameworks
Strengthening engagement with policymakers, funders, and partners
Professionalising internal systems and ways of working
Guiding organisational transitions and building leadership capacity across teams
Just as importantly, they leave with something that extends well beyond the week itself:
A global peer network—now 300+ thinktankers across 60 countries—that continues to exchange ideas, test approaches, and support one another long after the School ends.
These experiences mirror what we see across much of OTT’s work. Think tanks today are being asked to do more with less, operate in more polarised environments, and demonstrate relevance without losing independence.
In response, OTT works across three interconnected areas:
Across all of this, our focus remains the same: helping policy research organisations build institutions that are resilient, credible, and equipped to navigate complexity.
Until next month,
Enrique Mendizabal
Featured content
New blogs:
Education won’t scale from within the education sector alone, by Enrique Mendizabal
What we heard in Nairobi: 2025 State of the Sector report launch, by Racheal Makokha
Walking the talk: Why every think tank needs an internal “AI constitution”, by Dr. Tony Bader
- “It wasn’t just research”: How CHRICED helped turn Kano’s maternal health crisis into a law, by Dr Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, Enrique Mendizabal
Do you have insights, case studies, or research to share? Submit your article to reach a global audience of policy experts, change-makers, and thought leaders.
OTT Consulting: Helping you to deliver your missions
Supporting funders
Deepening insights on funder–think tank relationships
OTT is advising the Ford Foundation on a second phase of work to better understand how think tanks fit within its funding portfolios. Building on an initial analysis conducted between June–October 2025—which mapped funded think tanks by geography and issue areas—this phase takes a closer look at how the Foundation works with and supports think tanks across its international programs. The analysis will examine funding flows, institutional relationships, and the Foundation’s global architecture to explore how these arrangements support, or could better support, evidence ecosystems in different contexts.
Interested in working with us on similar advisory work? Get in touch to explore a collaboration →
Supporting think tanks
Strengthening Myanmar’s think tank leadership and networks
As part of a continued effort to strengthen policy research capacity in Myanmar, OTT is supporting a series of strategic engagements throughout 2026. This work builds on the participation of two Myanmar-based researchers in the School for Thinktankers 2026 and focuses on fostering leadership, collaboration, and long-term institutional development. The initiative also aims to bring together a Myanmar-based alumni network from past editions of the School, through peer exchange calls and tailored sessions with OTT staff and an external mentor, to support shared learning, collaboration pathways, and personal leadership development.
Research and advice on evidence-informed policy
OTT combines research with hands-on advisory work to help funders and public institutions strengthen how evidence is used in real policy settings.
- For funders: We supported learning and strategy on evidence use across systems— mapping think tanks in key markets for the Gates Foundation, designing trainings on data use for gender policy for OECD’s PARIS21, and conducting research on knowledge translation in the Global South to inform IDRC’s strategy.
- For practitioners: We provided practical advisory support to governments and policy labs, including research and advice to the Jacobs Foundation’s EdLabs in Colombia, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire, communications support for Peru’s Ministry of Development’s evidence unit, the design of a scientific advisory system for the Peruvian government during COVID-19, and acting as a learning partner to ACEPA’s work with the Parliament of Ghana.
Upcoming events
African Perspectives on the State of the Think Tank Sector, 18 Feb 2026
Join us for a conversation inspired by the On Think Tanks State of the Sector Report 2025, this time with a dedicated focus on Africa. Together with our panellists, we will explore the key data shaping the landscape of think tanks across the region, discuss the main challenges they face, and reflect on what the future may hold.
OTT Conference 2026, 19-21 May 2026
Join think tank leaders, funders and policy experts from around the world at the 10th edition of the OTT Conference in Rabat, Morocco, hosted in partnership with the Policy Center for the New South.
- Raisina Dialogue 2026, 5-7 March 2026 |
New Delhi, India
The Raisina Dialogue is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, held annually in New Delhi since 2016. Organised by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, this three-day event convenes global leaders, policymakers, academics, industry experts, and journalists to discuss critical international issues.
News & announcements
Think tank news:
The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) is seeking abstracts for their edited peer-reviewed volume, 'South Africa’s Democracy: On the fulcrum of two tipping points' — read more here.
International Tax Observatory launched on 5 February 2026.
The Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) is celebrating its 20-year anniversary.
The Al Habtoor Research Centre in Dubai celebrated its 3-year anniversary.
New leadership appointments:
IPAR has appointed Dr. Ndèye Codé Laure Tall as Executive Director of the institution from 1 January 2026.
Now hiring!
Director, Energy and Environment, R Street Institute
Washington DC, USA | 
$185,000–$200,000Research Manager, GovAI
London, UK | £75,000-£95,000 ($100,000-$130,000)Strategic Campaigner, Connecticut Tenants Union CTTU
New Haven, Connecticut, USA | $50,000-$60,000Communications Officer, Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES)
Manchester, UK | £32,000Executive Director, Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Pretoria, South AfricaSenior Specialist, Compliance, Basel Institute on Governance
Basel, Switzerland
