After two years online, we were happy to return to an in-person one-week School in Brussels. The seven-day event ran from 29 January \u2013 4 February 2023, hosted by Bruegel, the European Policy Centre (EPC) and the Centre for Africa-Europe Relations (ECDPM).<\/p>\n
The School for Thinktankers is designed to develop participants\u2019 think tank skills and prepare them for, or strengthen, leadership roles. It offers practical knowledge, learning and networking opportunities to help you and your think tank grow. Participants also enjoy activities like a city walking tour and a visit to the European Parliament.<\/p>\n
Applications now open for 2024 School<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n We welcomed 22 participants from 17 countries to the School. The diverse cohort included thinktankers from leadership, research, communications, partnership management and MEL roles. We also welcomed funders, AI experts, academic-practitioners (\u2018pracademics\u2019), and individuals interested in setting up a new think tank.<\/p>\n 23 January<\/u><\/p>\n The School for Thinktankers kicked off with a virtual welcome session equipping participants for their upcoming trip to Brussels. Participants were introduced to the programme objectives and sessions and got a chance to meet their cohort.<\/p>\n In this opening session with OTT\u2019s Founder and Director Enrique Mendizabal, participants gained a deeper understanding of what think tanks are, their history, and the various roles and models they serve in today’s evolving landscape.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 30 January<\/u><\/p>\n Think tanks may be founded on great ideas, but it\u2019s good financial management that ensures their sustainability. In this session, Sonja Stojanovic Gajic provided practical tips on how to navigate the complex financial landscape of think tanks. Participants learned how to maintain financial health during times of crisis, and to explore new funding opportunities, including establishing partnerships with the private sector.<\/p>\n Effective leadership and management are essential components of any successful think tank. During this session, Lizza Bomassi shared valuable insights on how to align a think tank’s goals with the strengths and talents of its staff. Attendees learned how to foster an environment that encourages continuous improvement and growth, how to have honest conversations, set clear expectations, promote communication, and motivate team members.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 31 January<\/u><\/p>\n Enrique Mendizabal returned to lead a session on the importance of good governance and management for delivering a think tank’s mission and vision. Participants gained a better understanding of how to maintain organisational independence, engage effectively with funders, and learn from successes and mistakes. Enrique also discussed the pros and cons of different types of boards and how to establish a board that meets the unique needs and expectations of a think tank.<\/p>\n Scarlett Varga led an insightful session on funding and engagement models for think tanks. Participants learned how to adopt a “fundraising mentality” to recognise the value of their work without overpromising or underselling their work to donors, nor compromising independence. Scarlett’s in-depth exploration of different funding and engagement models provided attendees with practical strategies for managing the fundraising cycle, from scanning for opportunities to follow ups and reporting on agreements.<\/p>\n Andrea Baertl challenged participants to reflect on the principles of credibility, transparency, and integrity. Through a hands-on workshop using Transparify\u2019s tool<\/a>, attendees learned how think tanks can manage reputational risks and build trust with stakeholders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 February<\/u><\/p>\n David Watson took participants on a #wonkcomms deep dive, sharing his expertise on communication strategies. He emphasised the critical role of strategic thinking and planning in think tank communications, stating that “not every problem has a report-sized solution.” To illustrate this, he introduced participants to Chatham House’s communications “orchestra” and invited participants to assess the effectiveness of a communications strategy.<\/p>\n Katja Knezevic discussed different types of events and their purposes, including small meetings that inform Bruegel’s research and thinking, and large conferences that facilitate debates on critical issues. She also provided guidance on managing events throughout their lifecycle, including crisis management, highlighting that event coordination is a highly stressful job. To help ensure successful events, she shared useful tips and tools, including analytics to measure success.<\/p>\n The Soapbox team challenged participants to flex their creative muscles during an interactive and informative workshop on branding. Participants were divided into groups and tasked with designing a branding strategy for a given think tank. From developing the tagline and personality to selecting the right audience segments, the groups had to bring it all together to develop a winning strategy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2 February<\/u><\/p>\n Participants had the chance to visit the European Parliament. Esen Alieva, a Lecturer and Visits Administrator at the parliament, started the session with an introduction on the parliament’s history, structure, and functions. Participants also had the opportunity to observe a plenary session where parliamentarians voted on crucial matters, such as waiving immunity for certain members and the report on improving working conditions in platform work.<\/p>\n After visiting the European Parliament and watching the plenary session in the morning, participants were warmly welcomed by the team at the European Policy Center (EPC). Fabian conducted a session on the challenges think tanks face during multiple crises \u2014 from the financial crisis and the war in Ukraine to the climate crisis. He emphasised the importance of cooperation between European partners, global partners, and political and non-political actors to co-develop solutions.<\/p>\nTopics covered:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Expert trainers:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
OTT Team:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Participants:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Programme summary:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Pre-School virtual sessions<\/h3>\n
Session 1: Welcome and programme overview
\nSpeaker: Andrea Baertl and Stephanie Nicolle, OTT<\/h3>\nSession 2: What is a think tank? History, roles and models
\nSpeaker: Enrique Mendizabal, OTT<\/h3>\nBrussels<\/h3>\n
Session 1: Finance for non-financial managers<\/strong>
\nSpeaker: Sonja Stojanovic Gajic, Public Engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\nSession 2: Leading a think tank: challenges and key functions<\/strong>
\nSpeaker: Lizza Bomassi, Carnegie Europe<\/strong><\/h3>\nSession 1: Think tank governance and management
\nSpeaker: Enrique Mendizabal, OTT<\/h3>\nSession 2: Exploring funding and engagement models: strategy and management<\/strong>
\nSpeaker: Scarlett Varga, Bruegel<\/strong><\/h3>\nSession 3: Credibility, transparency, and integrity workshop
\nSpeaker: Andrea Baertl, OTT<\/h3>\nSession 1: Communication strategies
\nSpeaker: David Watson, Chatham House<\/h3>\nSession 2: Event planning and management
\nSpeaker: Katja Knezevic, Bruegel<\/h3>\nSession 3: Workshop on branding
\nSpeakers: John Schwartz, Naomi Isaacs, and Guy Grimshaw, Soapbox<\/h3>\nSession 1: Visit to the European Parliament
\nSpeaker: Esen Alieva, European Parliament<\/h3>\nSession 2: Managing think tanks in times of perma-crisis
\nSpeaker: Fabian Zuleg, EPC<\/h3>\nSession 3: Knowledge brokering competencies for policy researchers and MEL for policy impact
\nSpeaker: Lene Topp, Joint Research Centre – European Commission<\/h3>\n