Last week, between July 10 and 12, Fundação Getulio Vargas hosted, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania (TTCSP), the 1^st Latin American Think Tanks Meeting. The participants - representatives of various institutions in the region and from other continents - discussed ways to contribute and innovate the socioeconomic transformation process of Latin America countries. Among the speakers were FGV's president, Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal; FGV's international director, Bianor Cavalcanti; the executive director of the Latin American Center for Public Policies (CLPP), Marlos Lima; the coordinator of FGV's Center for International Relations - CPDOC, Elena Lazarou; and the think tanks program director at the University of Pennsylvania, James McGann.Check out below the clarifications and the analysis of the director Marlos Lima about the meeting. What is the role of a think tank in the socioeconomic development of a country?The objective of a think tank is basically to improve the quality of decisions by society, especially in public policies. And he/she does that based on theoretical and technical knowledge applied to the challenges faced by the population. In this regard, the think tank seeks to enlighten the path of society toward the best economic balance of the country.What is the position of FGV as a think tank before other Latin American institutions?FGV adopts a cooperative attitude. FGV believes that, for Brazil, the debate about public policies at a regional level is important. Since we have the mission to contribute to national development, it necessarily comprises a greater knowledge and integration with other Latin American countries. In what ways may think tanks collaborate among themselves?There are two basic ways. The first is sharing knowledge generation and transmission processes, which definitely facilitates the second step - which is the integration of knowledge itself. This is particularly important for our region as it opens a channel beyond government to debate our challenges and needs. Was there any issue predominantly discussed at the event? Any latent issue common to all countries?Yes. All countries showed some common concerns. The first is to establish strategies for greater incidence on public policies, considering all the restrictions that exist, such as funding difficulties, degree of politicization, competition with other players in society and the need to balance academic austerity and the public reach of the message. During the event, Lima, in Peru, was defined as the next location for the meeting. What will be the next steps?The event was created this year, from an initiative by FGV in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania. The horizon is promising and the trend is that in the next year two major themes will be discussed: best innovation practices in public policies and how think tanks can increase its incidence in decisions made by society. It is quite a challenge. Visit the event's website for more information and pictures (available only in Spanish): http://www.thinktankslatinoamericanos.com/es/