Science and technology innovation resources are the cornerstone of the regional innovation activities and play an important role in the regional economic development. The spatial distribution of the innovation resources is a focus of the economic and geographic studies. Based on the global and local autocorrelation methods, this paper studies the spatial distribution and the dynamic evolution of the scientific and technological innovation resources in the Yangtze River Delta regions from 2000 to 2018, including the R&D funds, the R&D personnel, and the innovative enterprises, and with the help of multiple regression models, analyzes the impact of the scientific and technological innovation resources on the regional innovation capability. It is shown that the Yangtze River Delta regions are rich in scientific and technological innovation resources, in a spatial “Z” pattern composed of Hefei， Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo among other cities, and the spatial difference shows a shrinking trend from 2000 to 2018. It is shown that the scientific and technological innovation resources play a significant role in promoting the regional innovation capacity. As the spatial distribution of the scientific and technological innovation resources becomes more and more balanced, the regional innovation capacity correspondingly presents a higher and higher trend. This paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions to promote the innovation and the development of the Yangtze River Delta regions.

technological innovation  /  innovation resources  /  regional development  /  spatial distribution  /  Yangtze River Delta