Archive

Strategic Balancing Initiative

Connecting leaders in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., and beyond to develop actionable ways to address U.S.-China techno-industrial competition

The Strategic Balancing Initiative (SBI) at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) works to overcome public-private misalignments in the technology development ecosystem in order to accelerate American economic competitive advantage with the People’s Republic of China.

IST Experts Weigh in on the 2026 Cyber Strategy

IST Experts Weigh in on the 2026 Cyber Strategy

Today’s Cyber Strategy for America outlined six key priorities for the administration’s “cyber vision.” IST experts weigh in on what’s there, what isn’t, and what the plan means for cybersecurity going forward.

critical infrastructure, cyber offense, cybersecurity, deterrence, National Cybersecurity Strategy, Strategy, White House

March 6, 2026

Q&A: The Missing Middle: Solving America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap

Q&A: The Missing Middle: Solving America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap

In this month's edition of The TechnologIST, Lillian Ilsley-Greene sits down with Fatima Faisal Khan to discuss a new report on how to close America's deep tech financing gap in strategic competition with China.

biotech, China, deep tech, energy, quantum, venture capital

October 31, 2025

The Missing Middle: How to Close America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap in Strategic Competition with China

The Missing Middle: How to Close America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap in Strategic Competition with China

The United States and China are locked in competition to finance & deploy foundational technologies that will underwrite economic leadership and ensure national security for decades to come. Building on the prior work of IST’s Strategic Balancing Initiative, "The Missing Middle" digs into the systematic gap between early-stage capital and late-stage financing facing American deep-tech companies and the strengths and weaknesses of China's bifurcated system.

capital, China, deep tech, finance, hardware, national security, quantum, venture capital

October 31, 2025

IST Statement on President Trump’s AI Action Plan and Related Executive Orders

IST Statement on President Trump’s AI Action Plan and Related Executive Orders

In February, IST submitted comments in response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information on the development of an AI Action Plan. We were heartened to see many of the key issues we raised reflected in the Trump Administration’s recent AI executive orders.

AI, artificial intelligence, chips, compute, distributed energy, energy security, export control, national security, risk reduction

July 25, 2025

A Transatlantic Perspective on Quantum Tech

A Transatlantic Perspective on Quantum Tech

IST CSO Megan Stifel welcomes Markus Pflitsch. Formerly in the financial services sector, Markus transitioned back into the quantum space in 2019. He details his path to becoming CEO and founder of a leading quantum company, his unique take on the quantum ecosystem, and the differences in the funding environments in Europe and the United States.

artificial intelligence, China, Europe, quantum, venture capital

December 18, 2024

The Future is Quantum

The Future is Quantum

IST CSO Megan Stifel interviews Stefan Leichenauer, a member of the inaugural team at SandboxAQ with experience in both AI and quantum science. Stefan explains his journey from academia to private industry, SandboxAQ’s origins within Alphabet, and where quantum science is going next.

artificial intelligence, China, quantum

December 12, 2024

The Cleantech Boom

The Cleantech Boom

IST Chief Trust Officer Steve Kelly speaks with Dr. Alex Gagnon, co-founder and CEO of Banyu Carbon and an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Oceanology. They discuss the transformative potential of direct ocean capture in carbon dioxide removal and explore the ecosystem of partnerships needed to scale cleantech solutions.

carbon removal, China, cleantech, climate change, venture capital

December 5, 2024

Not Just Science for the Sake of Science

Not Just Science for the Sake of Science

In this episode of TechnologIST Talks, host Steve Kelly welcomes Dr. Alain Harrus, an expert in helping scientists who are driving innovation in technologies like materials science, engineering, semiconductors, and energy to break through and become global leaders.

commercialization, Material Science, microelectronics, venture capital

December 3, 2024

The Deep Tech Renaissance

The Deep Tech Renaissance

The deep tech ecosystem encompasses everything from hardware to biotech. Scaling up relative to tech is challenging–and expensive. In this episode, IST CEO Philip Reiner sits down with Dr. Manish Kothari to discuss the current “renaissance” in deep tech, the unique funding environment at play, and how to further galvanize the industry.

CRISPR, deep tech, Silicon Valley, venture capital

November 14, 2024

Why Venture Capital is Indispensable for U.S. Industrial Strategy

Why Venture Capital is Indispensable for U.S. Industrial Strategy

In the first episode of the TechnologIST Talks series “The Strategic Edge in Techno-Industrial Competition,” Michael Brown and Pavneet Singh join IST Chief Executive Officer Philip Reiner for a conversation on their plan for harnessing the power of venture capital.

deep tech, DIU, national security, venture capital

November 12, 2024

Why Venture Capital Is Indispensable for U.S. Industrial Strategy: Activating Investors to Realize Disruptive National Capabilities

Why Venture Capital Is Indispensable for U.S. Industrial Strategy: Activating Investors to Realize Disruptive National Capabilities

How can the U.S. realize disruptive national capabilities and establish technological leadership in the geostrategic competition with China? From IST’s Strategic Balancing Initiative, a new report calls for harnessing the power of the venture capital industry to unlock innovation, and offers insights for policymakers & practitioners.

China, industrial strategy, quantum, research and development, techno-industrial competition, venture capital

October 15, 2024

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Proposing Solutions to Public-Private Misalignments

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Proposing Solutions to Public-Private Misalignments

This concept paper, the third and last working paper in the series, lays out how a third round of working group meetings further explored those initial solutions, building out specific ways to operationalize them, identifying specific questions that need to be addressed to achieve these goals, and suggesting potential mechanisms for achieving them

biotech, China, energy, industrial strategy, quantum

June 28, 2024

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Evaluating Initial Solutions to Public-Private Misalignments

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Evaluating Initial Solutions to Public-Private Misalignments

In February, Strategic Balancing Initiative working groups identified key misalignments between the public & private sectors in biotech, energy & quantum. Now, SBI draws from working group insights to outline potential solutions that can bridge gaps between emerging tech and the policy apparatus.

biotech, China, energy, quantum, technological competitiveness

March 29, 2024

Strategic Balancing Initiative Hosts DC Event on Overcoming Misalignments in the Tech Development Ecosystem

Strategic Balancing Initiative Hosts DC Event on Overcoming Misalignments in the Tech Development Ecosystem

On February 9, 2024, the Institute for Security and Technology's Strategic Balancing Initiative convened public and private sector stakeholders in Washington DC for a series of discussions on overcoming misalignments in the emerging technology development ecosystem to accelerate American and likeminded nations’ economic competitiveness and national security strength in the face of a systemic and well-coordinated approach by the PRC to lead in critical and emerging technologies.

China, public-private misalignments, tech competition

February 29, 2024

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Public-Private Misalignments in Biotechnology, Energy, and Quantum Sectors

Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Public-Private Misalignments in Biotechnology, Energy, and Quantum Sectors

This initial Strategic Balancing Initiative report summarizes key takeaways from Working Group discussions with stakeholders in the biotechnology, quantum, and energy industries, identifying the unique challenges that they face to improving U.S. competitiveness in each respective sector. The report then engages in a ‘deep dive’ on a key concept from each industry that, if actioned, would improve innovation and could ultimately drive U.S. competitiveness.

biotech, China, energy, public-private misalignments, quantum, techno-industrial competition

February 20, 2024

Reflections on Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center’s Ecosystem Day

Reflections on Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center’s Ecosystem Day

IST Strategic Balancing Initiative team member Katherine Schmidt reflects on her visit to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center’s (SQMS) Ecosystem Day, an event that brought together collaborators in quantum across industry and academia.

microelectronics, misalignments, National Quantum Initiative Act, quantum, semiconductor

November 30, 2023