By think tank I mean a startup which generally does research and possibly sells or markets the ideas. You have a group of people implementing the ideas and the same group also thinks up new ideas to implement.
Yes, if the ThinkTank mostly outsources its efforts. Meaning build a network of domain expertize that it could bring to bear on the problem.
This probably should include an initial assessment of the problem itself by experts in various aspects of the problem as defined. Problem definition is often the weak link in the chain toward creating something new.
