Abstract: By using the panel data of 31 provinces and cities in the country from 1998 to 2017, constructing the relational model of ability structure, this paper measures the innovation capability of each province in China and reveals the spatiotemporal evolution of the coupling network of provincial innovation capability. The study finds that: ①From 1998 to 2017, the innovation capacity of each provincial region has been significantly improved, but the innovation capacity of different provinces still has a significant gap and the gap is gradually expanding. Among the four regions, the eastern region has the strongest innovation capacity, the northeast region has been overtaken by the central region and the western region, and the central region’s innovation capacity is higher than that of the western region. ②In the evolution of the coupling network of provincial innovation capability, the density and the intensity of the coupling network has been greatly enhanced, but the polarization distribution characteristic is obvious. The scale of the coupling network is more concentrated in the eastern and central regions. The whole country shows a spatial network distribution pattern of “Eastern Missiles”. In the process of collaborative innovation among provinces, the phenomenon of small groups has become obvious; ③The benefit gap of collaborative innovation among various provinces is continuously expanding, and the benefit pattern of provincial collaborative innovation presents agglomeration characteristic geographically and spatially presents “east high west low ” characteristic. Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other eastern coastal provinces and cities have become the first echelon of higher levels of collaborative innovation in China. Jiangsu-Shanghai is the pair of provinces in China that have benefited most from collaborative innovation.