The Research Center for Thai Studies of Chengdu University (Sichuan Provincial Research Institute of Thai Studies), established in 2013, is the third national research institution targeting Thailand, selected as one of the first batch of national and regional key research bases by the Education Department of Sichuan Province. In 2017, it was included in the National and Regional Research Filing Center of the Ministry of Education.

Based on the guiding principles that emphasize "Humanistic leadership, cultural integration, rooted in Chengdu, based on West China, serving the country, and going global", the center conducts multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and problem-based countermeasure research focusing on Thailand and ASEAN. To fulfill the basic responsibility of consultative services, it provides countermeasure-consulting services for national, provincial, municipal and local governments, enterprises and institutions; it assists in building up first-class disciplines and specialties and promotes education opening-up to the outside world. The Center has a nation-wide influence in three key research areas, such as education and innovative talent training in Thailand, Thai art and cross-cultural communication, and Thai political and economic research, as well as the cultivation of "cross-cultural" Thai talents, "many-sided" Thai research talents, and applied Thai art talents. Through the integration of universities and cities, the college carries out cultural exchanges between China and Thailand to serve the international development of West China, and strives to build a new university think tank that is leading in the southwest region and China, with an international influence.

The Center adopts the top-down promotion model that invites President of Chengdu University as the center director and hires Professor Sun Xiaomeng to lead the academic construction of the center. At present, there are 55 full-time and part-time researchers, of which 20 are full-time, 13 are professors, 23 are Ph.D., and 4 have been awarded the title of high-level talents. Among the part-time staff, there are 3 distinguished professors and 6 high-end foreign experts. Teachers in the Center have undertaken 21 projects, including 1 national funded project, 15 projects at the provincial and ministerial level, and have published 2 books and 30 papers in total. Meanwhile, teachers have won 1 national award and 7 provincial awards.