浙商研究院以浙江省首批哲學社會科學重點研究基地—— “浙商研究中心”和浙商博物館為基礎組建，由浙江工商大學原校長陳壽燦擔任負責人。2017年6月，浙商大與浙報集團簽訂戰略合作框架協議，共建浙商智庫；2017年7月，被認定為浙江省首批新型高校智庫；2018年10月，被認定為首批浙江省新型重點專業智庫。2020年12月，入選中國智庫索引（CTTI）來源智庫。2023年2月增掛“中國華商研究院”。
浙商研究院圍繞海內外浙商發展中的重大現實問題，以”傳承浙商文化、服務浙商發展、引領浙商未來”為宗旨，聚焦文化浙商、制度浙商、創新浙商、全球浙商、數字浙商等五個領域，開展智庫研究，為政府決策建言獻策，為浙商發展提供綜合服務。
浙商研究院以文化浙商為題，探究浙商的文化之源、精神之核和價值之本。以制度浙商為題，探究浙商的市場情結、制度創業和政商關系。以創新浙商為題，探究浙商的技術創新、組織變革與轉型發展。以全球浙商為題，探究浙商的浙江根基、中國版圖和全球足跡。以數字浙商為題，揭示浙商的量化世界、數字畫像和數字成長。全力建設習近平總書記對浙江工商大學提出的“在全國有位置、在全省很重要”的新型智庫。
Zhejiang Merchant Institute, headed by Prof. CHEN Shoucan，the former president of Zhejiang Gongshang University, was based on the first group of Key Research Center of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Zhejiang Province, called Zhejiang Merchant Research Centre and Zhejiang Merchant Museum. In June 2017, the Zhejiang Merchant Think Tank was co-founded by Zhejiang Gongshang University and Zhejiang Daily Press Group which was sooner listed in the earliest group of New Think Tank on Campus in Zhejiang.; In October 2018, it was recognized as one of the initial new think tanks in Zhejiang. In December 2020, it was selected in the China Think Tank Index (CTTI. In February 2023, China National Entrepreneur Institute was built on it.
For the purpose of "inheriting its culture, serving for its promotion and inspiring its future", Zhejiang Merchant Institute focuses on major issues on Zhejiang Merchant practically wherever in and out of China. It provides suggestions for government decision-making and consulting services for Zhejiang merchants. The institute's work includes five areas: culture, policies, innovation, globalization and digitization.
For cultural research, it explores the origin, spirit and value of Zhejiang Merchant. For policy research, it seeks its logic on the market, rules and regulations. For the innovation area, it reviews its change on technology, management and transformation. For the globalization area, it traces its roots and grows from Zhejiang to the world. For the digitization area, it describes the history and present of Zhejiang Merchant in a new perspective of digitization. It intends to be built as a reliable and remarkable think tank as the state's expected on the campus.
