Targeting the goal of building a top think tank and centering on the major needs of the country, CASISD has carried out research activities with the focus on high-level decision consulting, oriented to major outputs serving macro policy-making, leading innovation, and developing theories and methods. CASISD has undertaken a number of key projects deployed by the Council of National Top Think Tanks and research projects assigned by the relevant departments of the government, prospectively launched an array of research projects on science & technology frontiers for future development, and secured a raft of industry and local decision consulting projects to serve the implementation of national strategies.

CASISD insists on the specialized development of high-end science & technology think tanks while closely following the requirements of building national top think tanks and the plan for the CAS Pioneer Initiative. It systematically maps out science research and development direction based on the special advantages, and forms three levels of science research tasks during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Targeting the major strategic needs of national development, CASISD has conducted research on the following priorities: "Science & Technology Foresight, and Industrial and Regional Innovation" ,"Research on Major Policy Issues of Comprehensive Green Transition towards the Goals of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" and "Research on the Theory and Application of Double Helix Methodology in Think Tanks." Grasping the future trends of economic, social and scientific & technological changes, CASISD has launched research on the emerging frontiers: "Science & Technology Development Strategy", "Innovative Development Policy", "Sustainable Development Strategy", "System Analysis and Management" ,"Science & Technology Strategic Information." In addition, CASISD has supported a number of strategic, forward-looking, reserve and policy-oriented research projects through its President's Youth Fund and the Frontier Exploration Program, and guided research on independently selected topics for fulfilling national tasks through the Basic Capacity Enhancement Program.