From my observations, Skill Points are the total number of technologies you have developed (including each rank in those skills). For example, if you have Rank 9 Advanced Materials Collection and Rank 1 in Offensive Initiative, you would have 10 skill points in total.

Since I believe the skill points are related to how fast you can access the center of the map (and presumably obtain artifacts), this opens up the strategic option of focusing on fast to research, low-tier technologies, sacrificing access to powerful abilities for the opportunity to get first crack at an alternate win condition.