In order to accelerate the construction of a world first-class university and serve the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Sichuan University has decided to establish a Belt and Road Initiative Research Institute. By setting up such an institute, the university attempts to combine its resources such as China South Asia Research Institute, Europe Research Center, Modern Russia Research Center, Poland and Middle East Research Center, Chengdu and Europe + Strategy Research Center, “Belt and Road Initiative” and “Double First-Class Construction” work stations, thus, putting the university’s advantage of multi-disciplines into full play. 

Sichuan University has been active in its answer to the call of Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2013, Sichuan University has established nine research institutes concerning Belt and Road Initiative. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan Provincial Government and Chengdu City Government, SCU has opened a Polish language major as a cooperation program with University of Warsaw. SCU has also started a plan to train future leaders for Belt and Road Initiative states and set up a scholarship in the amount of 100 million RMB for students from Belt and Road Initiative countries to come to study in China. In addition, SCU has expanded its enrollment of high-level students from those countries. 

The newly established SCU Belt and Road Initiative Research Center will conduct systematic and in-depth research into issues concerning economy, society, culture, research of different countries, exchange of humanities, energy safety, and environmental protections, which are urgent issues in the construction of Belt and Road Initiative. Its goal is to build this research center into a state-of-the-art research platform that is inter-disciplinary, highly intelligent and international. It will also endeavor to become an international development center and world-class Belt and Road Initiative think tank of Southwest China.