The predecessor of the Regional Economics Research Institute was established in 1992 the Institute of Comprehensive Studies of the Northeast Asian Studies College. In 1998, the Institute of Comprehensive Research was renamed the Regional Economics Research Institute. In 2001, the Regional Economics Research Institute merged with the faculty studying economics in Northeast Asian Studies College, forming into the Economics Research Institute of Northeast Asian Studies College. In 2004, in order to strengthen the needs of regional economic disciplinary construction, the Institute of Regional Economics was re-established.

For a long time, the Regional Economics Research Institute has been engaged in regional economic theory and practices, regional economic development strategies and regional planning, international regional economic cooperation and other issues, regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, Tumen River international cooperation and development, economic development in Northeast China. The above aspects have formed research characteristics of the Institute. The Institute has obtained a large number of scientific research achievements with important theoretical and practical significance, and obtained high academic status and social influence. In 1998, the regional economics discipline was officially approved to establish a master's degree program. In 2003, it was granted a doctoral degree program. In 2006, it successfully applied to become one of the provincial key disciplines of higher education institutions in Jilin Province. At present, it has formed five research directions including regional economic theory, regional development and planning, regional industrial structure and layout, Northeast China regional economy, and Northeast Asian regional economy.

The Regional Economics Research Institute currently has 18 researchers, including 9 professors (all of them are doctoral supervisors), 6 associate professors, 1 lecturer, and 2 post-doctors. Over the years, it has undertaken more than 100 scientific research projects commissioned by government departments, enterprises and institutions at the national and local levels. There are 2 major challenge-taking projects of the Ministry of Education, 5 major projects of the Ministry of Education base, 4 social science planning projects of the Ministry of Education, 5 national social science fund projects, 2 national Natural Science Foundation projects, and 8 projects of Jilin Provincial Social Science Fund. In total, more than 10 million CNY research funding is disposable. Over the years, the Institute has trained a large number of senior talents for national and local economic construction, and has trained more than 300 master students in regional economics and more than 150 doctoral students.

For a long time, Regional Economics Research Institute has actively carried out academic exchanges with universities and research institutions in related research fields at home and abroad, and has successfully held many domestic and international academic conferences. It has been highly praised by relevant departments and experts at home and abroad, and has successively cooperated with well-known domestic universities such as Peking University, Renmin University of China, Nankai University, Northeast Normal University, and foreign scientific research institutions in Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. It has also established stable cooperative relations with the above institutes.