The role of think-tanks is increasingly relevant for the IR discipline since it blurs the distance between scholarship and professional expertise. However, the idiosyncrasy of knowledge-production in think-tanks remains largely unexplored from a sociological perspective. The distinctive mission of think-tanks is to promote new ideas in policy debate drawing from scientific expertise. Therefore, they are located at the intersection of scientific knowledge production and public policy process. This position at the crossroad of different social fields influences also the worldviews, professional practices and social roles of researchers working in this kind of institutions. This paper focuses on the field of think-tanks in Ukraine playing a prominent role in public debates concerning the process of EU integration. The analysis reconstructs the experts' self-understanding of their social positions and research practices. It draws on in-depth interviews and two focus groups with analysts from Ukrainian think tanks.
