Scientific and Technological Innovation is the Core Element of New Quality Productive Forces

New quality productive forces are the primary driver of high-quality economic development. As the core of new quality productive forces, sci-tech innovation plays a pivotal role in fostering and sustaining their growth. This article analyses the specific features, concept, theory, driving force, and practical needs of new quality productive forces, and argues that the specific features of new quality productive forces derive from sci-tech innovation; the theory of new quality productive forces is rooted in sci-tech innovation; the major driving force behind the evolution of new quality productive forces is sci-tech innovation; and the practical needs for new quality productive forces revolve around sci-tech innovation. On that basis, this article examines how sci-tech innovation influences, shapes, and cultivates new quality productive forces, and proposes that efforts should be made to leverage the leading role of sci-tech innovation, improve the new system for mobilising resources nationwide, and enhance the collaboration between enterprises, universities, and research institutes, so as to continuously reinforce the role of sci-tech innovation in underpinning new quality productive forces. Keywords: New Quality Productive Forces; Sci-Tech Innovation; Underlying Linkage; Core Element; Industrial Innovation; Institutional Reform.