This past February, I had the privilege and pleasure of being invited to Spain to attend the School For Thinktankers 2025, sponsored by the organization On Think Tanks (OTT) at Fundació Bofill in Barcelona. The weeklong training seminar started with an inspiring welcome session, setting the stage for an exciting week of learning, collaboration, and growth. As the Center for Global Studies (CGS) is launching a new Master of Science in Global Studies (MSGS) with 3 tracks including Global Governance, Global Security, and Gender and Public Policy, partnering with think tanks to collaborate, create student internships, and develop opportunities for students to present work and publish is a strategic focus of the center. Through the new master’s degree, CGS can offer avenues for networking, increased exposure to, and engagement with think tanks across the world.
On the first day of the seminar, we explored the culture of think tanks with Sonja Stojanovic Gajic, PhD, a researcher with the Center for Comparative Conflict Studies (CFCCS) in Belgrade. Dr. Gajic engaged us in discussions on how to build an effective, values-driven organization. Then, OTT’s founder and director, Enrique Mendizabal, explained the policy ecosystem, helping participants understand their roles in shaping policy. To close the day, Fundació Bofill’s Marc Segarra led a helpful session reflecting on the identity of a think tank.
During day two of the Thinktankers School, we focused on the elements that make think tanks thrive, including good governance and personnel management. The multiple group activities and conversations fostered a collaborative environment that highlighted both opportunities and challenges for think tanks. These thoughtful discussions carried through to the networking mixer at the end of the day, culminating in the group dinner, where participants from over 15 countries (including current CGS think tank partner Dinesh Thapa of the Global Development Network, pictured here) connected and exchanged insights.
The third day commenced with a presentation by Lilia Rizk, a project lead with the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank centered on economic and social public policies. The session focused on building partnerships for change, and the tools required to foster strategic, results-driven collaborations. Áurea Moltó, director within the Elcano Royal Institute, a Spanish think tank for international and strategic affairs, next led a session on setting policy-relevant agendas. Later, participants visited the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), an international affairs research center and think tank that analyses the impact of global issues on global policy spaces.
Day 4 of the Thinktankers School focused on leveraging communication for impact, asking “how can think tanks cut through the noise and make their research matter?” We started the day with a visit to Fundación ”la Caixa”, where presenters led a discussion on how institutions engage audiences effectively. Another highlight was a session led by David Watson of Chatham House, the famous independent policy institute based in London, who shared insights on using strategic communication to navigate complex policy environments. The day culminated in a reception where I met with representatives from student-led think tanks, learned about the intersections of their academic and policy experience, and strategized on ways to engage our future MSGS students with these international networks.
On day 5, we wrapped up the School for Thinktankers program, with the following key takeaways:
1. Think tanks are defined in different ways and do different things.
2. The ability to distill and disseminate research in a multitude of accessible ways is an important skill for students to learn.
3. The academic community is interwoven with the think tank community, and we must find ways to collaborate and keep each other informed to grow our impact.
Understanding think tanks and their needs and challenges is important to consider for program development in the Master of Science in Global Studies. The School For Thinktankers 2025 provided insight into what skills our students require to be productive contributors to think tanks in the future.
