The SMU Centre for Research on International Trade was founded in 2026, with the initial financial support from an MOE Tier 3 research grant, led by Pao-Li Chang (Director / Lead PI) and Lin Ma (Deputy Director / Co-PI).

A central pillar of the Centre’s work is the development of a unique Singapore firm-to-firm-level data infrastructure that maps production and knowledge linkages across firms. These datasets enable researchers to trace how goods, services, labour, and knowledge flow across firms, and to study how economic shocks are transmitted through these networks. By building and maintaining this data infrastructure, the Centre creates a lasting research and policy resource for understanding Singapore’s integration into global and regional value chains.

Beyond Singapore, the Centre is also conducting research on firm-to-firm datasets for major Asian economies, including China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. These datasets map production, input-output, ownership, and knowledge linkages across firms within and possibly across borders, enabling cross-economy comparisons of network structures and shock transmission mechanisms. By encompassing the key regional economies, the Centre facilitates research on regional value chains, knowledge diffusion, and propagation of shocks within a broader regional and global network.