The article is an attempt of a synthetical assessment of the trade's contribution to the Polish transformation and the state of research on its impact on the economy. Trade has utilised the transformation to strengthen its role, which will grow. However, there is a significant disparity between the growing role of trade and the state of research on its impact on the economy. Narrowing that disparity depends, first of all, on inclusion of trade into research programmes of a considerably greater number of scientific centres.