[Purpose/significance]As Sino-US trade frictions intensify,a series of issues related to national science and technology development and security,such as "ZTE Core" "Huawei Core" "science and technology decoupling",continue to warn China’s scientific and technical information(STI) research and work,causing STI institutions to reflect on their capabilities.[Method/process] This study draws on the achievements of predecessors,analyzes the academic performance of CITIC and the provincial STI institutions for the past five years(2015-2019),and investigates on their business performance. [Result/conclusion] The study believes that the sustainable development of STI institutions depends on their comprehensive capabilities. Both of business performance and academic performance are important to perceive the capabilities of STI institutions. Under the new situation,STI institutions need to attach importance to capabilities building in respects of information awareness,response and early warning,but the academic capability can’t be neglected. The academic capability is not only an important component of STI institution capabilities,but also the decisive factor for their healthy and sustainable development.