Press Release - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Belfer Center Ranked World’s No. 1 University Think Tank

Feb. 04, 2019

Cambridge, MA – For the sixth year in a row, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has been ranked the best university-affiliated research center in the world.

The rankings appear in the 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, produced annually by James McGann, director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute. The Index seeks to “increase the profile and performance of think tanks and raise the public awareness of the important role think tanks play in governments and civil societies around the globe.”

“The Belfer Center exists to build a more secure, peaceful world,” said Director Ash Carter. “Through active engagement with leaders in government, business, and media around the globe, our community of scholars, students, and staff go beyond intellectual advancement to lasting policy impact that serves the public good.”

The Belfer Center has a dual mission: to advance policy-relevant knowledge about the most important challenges at the intersection of science, technology, and international security, and to prepare future generations of leaders for these arenas. Its programs and projects address critical issues relating to cybersecurity, digital democracy, nuclear proliferation, diplomacy, and terrorism, relationships with Russia, China, and the Middle East, as well as applied history, energy, disruptive technological innovation, and climate change. The Center integrates research and insights from social scientists, natural scientists, technologists, and practitioners in government, diplomacy, the military, and business.

The 2018 Index rankings reflect input from over 3,750 university faculty and administrators, journalists, policymakers, think tank scholars and executives, and donors. Functional area and regional specialists served as expert panelists and provided valuable insights and assistance in compiling the report, which catalogued more than 8,100 think tanks worldwide.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:Belfer Center Ranked World’s No. 1 University Think Tank.” Press Release, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, February 4, 2019.