Founded by more than twenty institutions to unite Silk Road research through academic exchange, collaborative study and resource sharing, and chaired by Zhao Feng. Its biennial symposia have travelled across Eurasia and beyond:
- 2016Hangzhou, China — Origin, Dissemination and Exchange
- 2017Lyon, France — Dialogue on Eurasian Silk
- 2018Buyeo, South Korea — Material and Intangible Heritage
- 2019Yessentuki, Russia — Textiles as Historical Documents
- 2021Online — From the Middle Ages to the Industrial Era
- 2022Online — Textiles from a Microscopic Perspective
- 2023Norwich, United Kingdom — Textiles from a Microscopic Perspective
- 2024Vientiane, Laos — Heritage of the Southeast Asian Silk Road
- 2025Berkeley, United States — Beyond the Silk Road, Across the Seas