What Special Competitive Studies Project does
Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a non-partisan, non-profit strategy and policy organization focused on strengthening U.S. long-term competitiveness amid artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. SCSP’s mission is to produce recommendations for how the United States should be positioned and organized to “win the techno-economic competition between now and 2030,” spanning national security, the economy, and society. SCSP is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and operates as a private operating foundation that is a subsidiary of The Eric & Wendy Schmidt Operating Foundation.
SCSP’s work combines (1) net assessments and strategy memos, (2) convening senior leaders across government, industry, academia, and the startup ecosystem, and (3) structured analytic frameworks intended to inform decision-making. Examples include SCSP’s “Tech Scorecard” for benchmarking U.S.–China technology competition, and a series of “Commissions” (high-level, bipartisan bodies) on technology and defense-relevant areas such as AI workforce readiness, robotics for advanced manufacturing, and quantum strategy.
Institutionally, SCSP’s strategy work is designed to translate into actionable options rather than only academic analysis. Its convenings (such as AI+ Expo) and recurring programs (such as “Memos to the President” and topic-specific summits) function as distribution and engagement mechanisms—bringing together decision-makers and builders while keeping the emphasis on policy-relevant competitiveness outcomes.