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On Think Tanks (OTT) Annual Conference 2026
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May 2026
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6:00 pm
May 2026
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2026-05-20 09:00:00
2026-05-21 18:00:00
On Think Tanks (OTT) Annual Conference 2026
Description
Location
Policy Center
Policy Center
Africa/Casablanca
public
The On Think Tanks (OTT) Conference is a global gathering of think tank professionals, funders, and policy experts dedicated to exchanging knowledge, building meaningful partnerships, and collaboratively addressing shared challenges in the policy research and advocacy sector.
The 2026 edition of the conference will be held in partnership with the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) from May 19 to 21, 2026, at the PCNS headquarters in Rabat, Morocco.
For further information, please visit the website: https://onthinktanks.org/conference/ott-conference-2026/
Agenda
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 | |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Registration and welcome coffee |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Introductory remarks Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President, Policy Center for the New South Enrique Mendizabal, Founder, On Think Tanks |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Keynote 1: Erica Schoder Keynote by Erica Schoder, Executive Director of the R Street Institute AI can now produce a competent policy brief. So if anyone can produce the output, what is a think tank actually for? In this keynote, Erica Schoder argues that think tanks have always produced two kinds of knowledge: verified knowledge that AI can replicate, and constituted knowledge that only comes into being when people with real stakes work through hard problems together. Drawing on her research at Edinburgh Futures Institute and fourteen years leading R Street Institute, she offers a practical framework for identifying where your institution's constituted knowledge gets produced and making it visible to stakeholders and funders. |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Parallel sessions Parallel session 1A: Stop complaining about the trust deficit convened by Margarita Beneke De Sanfeliu (FUSADES), Jorge Morel (Instituto de Estudios Peruanos), and Rakesh Rajani (Just Systems). Trust isn’t abstract or accidental; it is built through identifiable organisational mechanisms. This session introduces a research-based analytical framework and Theory of Change (ToC) for building trust — not policy influence — drawing on new research on civil society organisations. Using four core mechanisms: Accountability, Legitimacy, Connection, and Independence — participants will examine common trust gaps in think tank operations, share real-world examples of what works (and what doesn’t), and identify practical intervention points within their own organisations. Moving from principle to practice, the session will culminate in a co-created draft Theory of Change or common framework to help think tanks design a more systematic path toward credibility and sustained trust. Parallel session 1B: Building a trusted think tank brand convened by John Schwartz, Soapbox, and Annapoorna Ravichander. In an AI-shaped information ecosystem, think tanks can’t assume trust—they have to earn it. This interactive session explores how a clear narrative, purposeful positioning, and sustained strategic communications help think tanks build credibility with different audiences who are looking for different “signals” of trust. Parallel session 1C: The Currency of Credibility: Building Trust to Secure Unrestricted and Less-Restricted Funds convened by Judith Katz, Karen Kühlcke, Sharmagh Sakounts, and Lisa Yankowski. Think tanks globally are facing increasing financial challenges, particularly when it comes to raising core funding to bridge the gap of indirect costs. Parallel session 1D: The inside job: Organisational culture as a strategic asset for think tanks convened by Emma Woodford, Sonja Stojanovic-Gajic and Shanaka Kulathunga. Think tanks invest heavily in external credibility — research quality, policy influence, communications — yet far less attention is paid to what happens inside. Parallel session 1E: The future of think tanks starts now! convened by Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Erica Schoder, Chad Russell, and Natallia Nenarokamava. This session will explore the challenges think tanks face today and the practical decisions they can make to start investing in the future. |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Building a stronger community Building a stronger community session 1: Unlocking Global Impact for Southern Think Tanks convened by Beatriz Pfeifer, Network Engagement Officer, Southern Voice. This session will explore the critical importance of Global South think tanks engaging in global policy, which directly influences national agendas. Building a stronger community session 2: Understanding Chinese think tanks: An opportunity for collaboration convened by CHEN Fei, LIU Xiwen, and LI Gang. Chinese think tanks are growing in number and sophistication. Building a stronger community session 3: Measuring impact: one year on convened by Kareem Makhlouf. New Lines Institute upgraded its impact model and rolled it out last year. |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Lunch |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Unpopular opinions: Singalong A sing-along to share and present "un-popular" opinions. |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Keynote 2: Denis Foretia | Trusted by Whom? Rethinking Think Tank Legitimacy in the African Context Keynote by Denis Foretia, Co-Chair, Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation & Executive Chairman, Nkafu Policy Institute. Who do think tanks truly serve, and whose trust do they seek to earn? This keynote challenges traditional notions of legitimacy. |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30 – 18:00 | Parallel sessions Parallel session 2A: Trust among think tanks convened by Salim Kombo, Kathleen Van Hove and Stewart Nixon. Networks and collective action are often seen as pathways to systems change. Parallel session 2B: Universities and think tanks: Strategic alliances for knowledge, impact, and sustainability convened by Florencia Rubiolo, Donna Tonini, Karim El Aynaoui and Bob Wakesa. |
| 18:00 – 18:30 | Final roundup |
| 20:00 – 22:00 | Screw-up Night – Venue: Le Bistrot du Pietri convened by Sonja Stojanovic-Gajic and Goran Buldioski. Join Conference participants in central Rabat to share stories of failures, learn from them and have a laugh. |
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 | |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Registration and welcome coffee |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Introductory remarks |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Keynote 3: Rosa Balfour | Do think tanks matter? Keynote by Rosa Balfour, Director, Carnegie Europe. Sweeping global changes are upending international and domestic politics. |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Parallel sessions Parallel session 3A: Regional think tanks - opportunities and challenges convened by Racheal Makokha, Adwoa Banful, Dominique Dryding, Bruno Ittia Achuo, Chepa Twatasha Lesa, Mahao Leuta Mahao, and Chibuikem Agbaegbu. Parallel session 3B: Forget core funding: alternative income streams for resilient think tanks convened by Jorge Morel, Liliana Alvarado, Anthea Haryoko, and Margarita Beneke De Sanfeliu. |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Building a stronger community Building a stronger community session 4: How do we build, sustain and fund cross-regional collaboration convened by Ingmar Juergens. Anyone who has wrestled with the challenge of working across borders should join this session. |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Lunch |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | What is new and newsworthy? After almost 2 days of community building this is a great time to share what is new and newsworthy in the community. |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Keynote 4: Héctor Cárdenas | If We Don’t Tell the Story, Others Will: Think Tanks in a Polarised World Keynote by Héctor Cárdenas, President at the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI). In an age of polarisation, information overload, and declining trust, think tanks face a fundamental challenge. |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30 – 18:00 | Parallel sessions Parallel session 4A: T7 and T20: Lessons for greater global think tank cooperation convened by Sheila Tolentino and Dianna H. English. Parallel session 4B: The role of student-led think tanks: education, impact, and professionalisation convened by Antonia Wünscher, Elizaveta Barabanova, Oscar Bradshaw, and Sonja Grünbauer. |
| 18:00 – 18:30 | Final roundup |
| 18:45 – 21:00 | OTT 15th Anniversary Celebrations |
