Abstract: Under the strategic framework of integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, the role of think tanks in research universities has transcended the traditional function of providing policy advice and enlightening public discourse. They have evolved into strategic resources deeply embedded in the process of cultivating top-notch innovative talents, serving as a crucial nexus connecting education, science and technology, and talent. Positioning research university think tanks as new frontiers for nurturing top-notch innovative talents constitutes a pivotal approach to advancing the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and also represents an innovative measure to enhance the capacity of higher education in serving national strategies. At present, think tank-based talent cultivation in research universities still faces deep-seated challenges: misalignment of value orientation and suspension of the cultivation logic; scarcity of interdisciplinary mentors and fragmentation of knowledge structures; lagging institutional supply and lack of multifaceted incentives; technological disruptions in the digital age and the imperative for capability transformation; and constraints on output quality and communication effectiveness. Against the backdrop of comprehensively advancing the integrated reform of institutional mechanisms in education, science and technology, and talent, research university think tanks need to explore a five-dimensional collaborative cultivation model encompassing "think tank + ideological and political education, " "think tank + teaching, " "think tank + disciplines, " "think tank + research, " and "think tank + practice." Furthermore, the support system for think tank-based talent cultivation should be strengthened from four aspects: organizational support, evaluation support, resource support, and cultural support.