PEP's Model Draws Interest From Peer Organisations

Trust in research institutions is under pressure globally. The On Think Tanks (OTT) Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, put that challenge at its centre, bringing together think tank leaders, funders, researchers, and policy practitioners, among others, to explore how credibility is built and sustained. PEP's answer is that genuine trust grows from the ground up: through locally-led research, equitable partnerships, and sustained support for Southern voices in global policy debates. It was this vision that PEP Executive Director Prof. Jane Mariara brought to her session, “PEP as a Bridge for Locally-Led Economic Policy Research” within the "Building a Stronger Community" series.

In her presentation, Prof. Mariara set out the challenge facing Southern researchers: that despite the growing demand for locally-grounded evidence, structural barriers continue to limit their access to funding, publishing networks, and international collaboration. She presented PEP's integrated model of research support as a direct response, combining grants with training, mentorship, peer review, and policy engagement to build both research quality and institutional capacity across the Global South.

Participants recognised the value of PEP's offer well beyond its core audiences of policymakers and funders. Peers praised PEP's work on evidence-informed policymaking and pointed to areas, including evidence synthesis and behavioural science, where PEP's integrated model could serve the wider think tank community. Prof. Mariara called for stronger partnerships between think tanks, governments, and funders, and new collaboration opportunities emerged from the conversation.

For Prof. Mariara, the session affirmed something PEP has long worked to build. "My key takeaways were the core values of trust, legitimacy, credibility, and authenticity," she said, "and how well PEP is doing on these, and how we remain dynamic as we move to the next level."

The session reinforced PEP's core conviction that research funding, training, mentorship, peer review, and policy engagement work best as an integrated whole. This bridge-building approach increasingly resonates across the policy research community.

The OTT Conference 2026 was hosted by the Policy Center for the New South from May 19 to 21. Across the three days, participants explored key issues reshaping policy research globally, including think tank credibility, the impact of AI on research ecosystems, and evolving models of funding and collaboration, all under the global theme of ‘Think tanks and trust’.