Description

The Critical Technology Tracker, developed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), is a comprehensive data project that monitors global leadership across 64 critical technology areas. These fields span crucial sectors such as defence, space, AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, and advanced materials. The project's methodology focuses on identifying the countries and institutions—including universities, government labs, and companies—that publish the highest share of innovative and high-impact research. By analyzing the top 10% of the most-cited papers, the tracker provides a leading indicator of a nation's strategic focus, research performance, and future technological capability.

Initially launched in March 2023, the project underwent a major expansion in August 2023, extending its dataset from a five-year window to a comprehensive 21-year period (2003–2023). The data and insights from the Critical Technology Tracker are made available to the public through an interactive website and a series of analytical reports, such as the recent publication, The rewards of long-term research investment.