Welcome and overview

Welcome to the School for Thinktankers 2025! We are excited to meet you in person in Barcelona. In this section, you will find all the necessary information and documents to help you understand how the School will be run and start preparing for it.

Programme overview

Please download and read these documents detailing the structure, course delivery method, and agenda.

In the Programme Overview document, you can check our participant presentation guidelines (if you are using a PPT, please upload your presentation to this Google Drive folder before 6 February 2025). Also, we welcome you to bring a small poster (size 11*14 or 16*20 max) about your work that we can pin up on the walls of the learning room and a shareable gift from your country (e.g. fridge magnets, key chains or goodies to munch on!). These are completely optional; you can find more details in the document.

Please check the Programme Schedule document for the latest information on the agenda. Any changes to the schedule will be communicated via Slack. Contact Camila if you have any questions.

We will use Slack for all communication purposes. Please check if you have received access to our Slack channel by 17 January 2025.

And finally, we will meet for our introductory session online on 15 January 2025 at 1.00-2.30 pm GMT (London time).

Learning journal

The learning journal is a personal tool to help you plan and reflect on your learning experience, and we encourage you to complete it on your own.

Barcelona city guide

We have prepared a document with useful information on how to get around Barcelona and what to see and do. We hope you enjoy your time in the city!

Background notes

We have prepared a collection of background notes to give you an overview of the modules covered at the School: defining think tanks and evidence-informed policy; governance and management; policy-relevant research; monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL); communications; and fundraising and financial management. These notes do not follow a textbook approach. Rather, they aim to provide an overview of the key issues in each topic by offering essential definitions and highlighting fundamental questions.

Contact

If you would like to find out more about the OTT School's learning opportunities, please email us: school@onthinktanks.org