西北大学丝绸之路研究院是2013年12月在西北大学西北历史研究所基础成立，并在当月在省长办公会上作为专项议题给予研究，省长办公会明确支持研究院建设和发展。2014年1月时任陕西省副省长庄长兴为西北大学丝绸之路研究院揭牌。
西北大学丝绸之路研究院是国内第一家实体丝绸之路研究机构（正处级）。丝绸之路研究院在丝绸之路历史地理、民族宗教问题、文明交往等领域有深厚的研究传统和成果积累。
一、基本信息
西北大学丝绸之路研究院作为实体研究机构，有独立的研究人员、独立经费、独立办公场所。
研究院有专职研究人员25人，其中外籍专家1人、特聘院士1人、特聘教授2人；另外聘任首席经济学家、首席考古学家、首席艺术家各1人。聘任兼职研究员（以项目合作为纽带）30人，聘请境外兼职研究人员20人。聘请尼泊尔前总理内帕尔、泰国战略研究中心苏拉西上将为高级研究员。研究院有硕士博士研究生，共37人（含9名留学生），均参与“一带一路”研究工作。
自成立之日起，西北大学校长方光华、郭立宏先后兼任研究院院长，卢山冰任常务副院长。2017年12月至今，卢山冰任院长。目前研究院设副院长2人、院长助理1人。
研究院成立了西北大学哈萨克斯坦研究中心、巴基斯坦研究中心、尼泊尔研究中心。研究院拥有教育部区域和国别研究中心1个、陕西省“一带一路”软科学基地1个、陕西省国际合作基地1个。其中西北大学哈萨克斯坦研究中心哈方主任为哈萨克斯坦中国研究中心主任古丽娜尔担任。
研究院办公场所在西北大学太白校区，办公用房1020平方米（51间办公房），有独立的接待室、多媒体会议室。
研究院成立了《丝路通讯》编辑部，每半年编辑一期，现已编辑12期。
二、研究构建智库平台
研究院秉持“和平合作、开放包容、互学互鉴、互利共赢”的丝绸精神，致力于为国家“一带一路”建设建言献策、提供学术思想支持；为丝绸之路研究英才搭建协同创新平台；与丝路各国相关机构加强合作，为促进世界不同文明相互理解、形成人类命运共同体贡献力量。
研究院先后与国家发改委西部开发司、外交部国际经济司、陕西省发改委等单位建立起定期沟通联络机制，与西咸新区空港新城、国家开发银行、陕西省广播电视台、五洲传媒、黑龙江出版社等单位签订了战略合作协议。
积极开展国际交流合作，致力于宣传中国政策、倡议，传播中国声音；开展联合研究，为国引智。先后与吉尔吉斯斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、俄罗斯、韩国、印度、伊朗等国家的高校、研究机构、智库建立合作关系，并主办承办10余次“丝绸之路经济带”、“‘一带一路’与‘光明之路’对接国际研讨会”、“文明对话，长安论坛”、“中哈作家交流活动”等大型学术会议，形成了一定的国际影响。
2014年12月，研究院被中央对外联络部牵头“一带一路”智库联盟吸纳为常务理事单位。2017年6月，研究院牵头发起成立陕西高校“一带一路”智库联盟。
三、形成的成果
近5年来，研究院累计获批25项国家和省部级科研项目，到款经费300万元，获得其他经费支持200万元，已经形成一批研究成果。
研究院在“中亚文明史”、“丝绸之路历史地图”、“丝绸之路人文地理”、“中亚矿产资源”、“中亚棉花资源”、“中亚航空物流现状”、“西安丝绸之路经济带智库”、“习近平总书记‘一带一路’系列讲话精神研究”、“陕西高校服务‘一带一路’研究”、“中国高校‘一带一路’智库影响力研究”等领域，形成了一系列研究成果。连续三年发布《中国高校“一带一路”智库影响力报告》，产生良好社会影响。
研究院形成了一批“一带一路”智库成果。在“上海合作组织与欧亚经济联盟对接”、“‘一带一路’产能合作”、“‘一带一路’与陕西发展”、“西安在‘一带一路’中的新地位新作用”等专项研究上，形成了一批智库成果。在2018年9月，《陕西高校“一带一路”十大智库成果》中，西北大学丝绸之路研究院的智库成果占到7个。
研究院专家的十余个研究成果得到省级以上领导批示。
研究院专家，公开发表论文80余篇，出版著作20部。
四、社会影响
2017年研究院在国家“一带一路”建设领导小组指导发布的《中国智库报告》中国高校“一带一路”智库中，位居第4位（北大、清华、人大的机构排在前三位）；2018年浙江工业大学《中国高校智库研究报告》1000个高校智库中，研究院位居34位，居西部高校第2位、西北高校第1位。
Institute of Silk Road Studies
I. Overview
The Institute of Silk Road Studies of Northwest University was established in January, 2014. From its inception to the present, three research bases, two think tank alliances and four research centers have been set up under the institutional framework, including Kazakhstan Research Center which is part of the National and Regional Research Project launched by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Belt and Road Soft Science Base and International Cooperation Base, both of the latter were initiated by Shaanxi provincial government; The Belt and Road University Think Tank Alliance and Belt and Road Think Tank Alliance of Shaanxi’s Universities; Kazakhstan Study Center, Pakistan Study Center, Nepal Study Center, Center for Belt and Road Eurasian Economic Union Studies and Center for the Research of History and Culture. The institute also includes an editorial department editing a semiannual journal Silk Road Newsletter.
At present, the institute consists of a staff of 25 full-time researchers and 4 full-time administrative staff and 50 part-time researchers, including 20 overseas researchers. There are 37 master and doctoral students studying in the institute, including 9 foreign students.
II. Research Achievements
The Institute has gained a number of achievements on topics such as “Xi Jinping's Speeches on Belt and Road” “History of Civilization in Central Asia” “History Map of Silk Road” “Silk Road Human Geography” “ ‘Belt and Road’ Industrial Cooperation “ “ ‘Belt and Road’ Think Tank Cooperation” “How Shaanxi Universities Support ‘Belt and Road’” “The Influence of Chinese universities as Belt and Road think tanks”; In total, 27 national, provincial and ministerial research projects have been approved and 20 books and more than 80 papers of the experts have been published.
In addition, notable think tank accomplishments have been achieved in special research topics such as “Docking of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union” “‘Belt and Road’ and the Development of Shaanxi Province” and “Xi’an’s New Position and New Role in ‘Belt and Road’”, More than ten accomplishments were reviewed and approved by leaders of and above the provincial level. Besides, in the “Top Ten Think Tank Achievements on ‘Belt and Road’ of Shaanxi Universities” released in 2018, the achievements of the institute accounted for seven; In September 2019, Dean Lu Shanbing, as the sole expert representative of think tanks from western China, was received by the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Tokayev during whose visit to China.
III. Social Impact
The institute ranked 4th in university think tanks listed in “Chinese Think Tank Report” released in 2017; it ranked 34th in 1000 university think tanks selected from the whole country, 2nd in university think tanks from western China and 1st in university think tanks from Northwestern China in “China University Think Tank Research Report” released by Zhejiang University of Technology in 2018; it was selected by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Evaluation as one of the 20 Chinese think tanks with distinctive characteristics in Belt and Road research in November 2019.
