The establishment of Science and Technology Innovation Hubs (STIHs) has become a critical element of the innovation-driven development strategy. Employing bibliometric methodologies, 380 relevant documents published in the field of STIHs research were analyzed between 2000 and 2023. The analysis included co-authorship networks, institutional affiliations, keyword co-occurrence, clustering and burst detection. The findings reveal that the majority of significant research on STIHs in China is published after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, indicating a strong policy orientation. The data also suggest a relatively weak collaboration among scholars and a fragmented landscape of cooperation and exchange between institutions, characterized by a pattern of widespread dispersion with localized clusters. The primary focus of the research has been on the conceptual foundations, formation mechanisms, developmental impacts and innovation ecosystems of STIHs. Future research should be guided by the emergence of new forms of productive capacity, deepen the understanding of the essence of STIHs, explore diverse models for different types and hierarchical levels of these centers, conduct in-depth analyses of their impact effects, and place greater emphasis on policy design for collaborative innovation within urban agglomerations as hosts for STIHs.