Unlocking U.S. Technological Competitiveness: Public-Private Misalignments in Biotechnology, Energy, and Quantum Sectors
Ben Purser, Pavneet Singh
SUMMARY
The Strategic Balancing Initiative (SBI) at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) works to overcome public-private misalignments in the technology development ecosystem. The aim is to accelerate American and likeminded economic success as a balance against authoritarian uses of technology, such as those exemplified by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). SBI works to shift mindsets by connecting stakeholders siloed by the gaps between D.C. and Silicon Valley; shift behaviors to help public and private sector leadership align and collaborate; and identify technology applications of particular interest to policymakers and private sector leadership.
SBI endeavors to achieve these aims by convening public and private sector stakeholder Working Groups with representatives from the fields of biotechnology, energy, and quantum information sciences. These Working Groups examine critical misalignments between national security interests and technology industry incentives. Ultimately, SBI aims to shape understanding, raise awareness, impact behavior, and help develop potential solutions in consultation with cross-sectoral industry experts and national security policymakers to improve American competitiveness.
Through these closed-door discussions, SBI identified significant misalignments between the private and public sectors in relation to their geostrategic approaches to the PRC, as well as in how each sector considers related investment, business decisions, and financing. Although the overall socio-political climate in the United States with respect to the PRC seems to be shifting towards a more starkly bifurcated relationship, discrepancies remain in how public and private sector leaders see and manage PRC-related issues.
This initial SBI 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. For each, this report provides an Executive Summary, then expands in much greater detail on the core elements of the Working Groups findings to date. 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. This report draws on in-depth research by the SBI team, interviews, and stakeholder input to propose potential solutions.
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