In this presentation, we outline the main aims of the East-West Cultural Corridor (EWCC) project, the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: “Ancient and medieval east-west corridor and historical dynamics of cultural exchange and trade networks in Mainland Southeast Asia”. The project was established to identify and interpret the historical dynamics of the land-based communication and trading networks and ‘corridors’ between ancient urban centres that connected Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam during the 1st and 2nd millennia AD (until the 18th century). The paper will provide insights into the new knowledge that has been obtained from the EWCC project and discuss the objectives of the program going forward.