OTT Conference 2022

Think tanks and partnerships for change

In May 2022, On Think Tanks (OTT) welcomed 271 people from around the world to explore partnerships between think tanks and other changemakers.

The OTT Conference has explored a range of topics over the years, like think tank credibility, public engagement, technology, and responding to crises. Looking back, we realised that a common factor across all these topics is engagement with other actors.

Think tanks play an essential role in shaping evidence-informed change in the world. But they do not — and cannot — exist in silos. Increasingly, think tanks are convening, connecting and collaborating with different organisations — such as political parties, the media, social movements and the private sector.

Are think tanks prepared for these partnerships? Are they governed and managed in the right way? Do they have the right teams, skills, and experiences? What are the risks and challenges of collaborating with other actors?

Over the three days, 67 panellists from the global think tank community participated in 16 sessions — two keynote conversations, four panels and 10 fringe events hosted by our partners and friends.

Sessions covered exciting issues, ranging from think tanks and the media, private sector, social movements and political parties, to the war in Ukraine, partnerships for democratic security, think tanks and impact investing, partnerships to scale research impact, and much more!

All sessions were recorded and can be watched in your own time in this publication.

Once again, the OTT Conference leaves us many important lessons and many more questions to discuss for the remainder of the year. We look forward to continuing the conversation with you.

The OTT conference 2022 took place 17–19 May 2022 and was supported by the Hewlett Foundation, Universidad del Pacífico and Mercator.