The establishment of water-saving technology innovation centers is a key strategy for overcoming the challenges in the development of water-saving technological innovation. This paper employs methods such as literature review

policy analysis

and statistical evaluation to systematically assess the current status of water-saving technology innovation centers in China. The findings indicate that the 54 water-saving technology innovation centers across the country are concentrated in the north and more sparsely distributed in the south. In terms of type

comprehensive centers are the most common

followed by those focused on agricultural water-saving. Regarding the formation models

nearly half are led by enterprises

and the foundation for industry-academia-research collaboration has been initially established. However

the overall development of these centers is still in its early stages

with challenges such as low levels of development and a lack of nationallevel centers. Based on these findings

the study further defines the guiding principles

regional distribution

and strategic positioning for constructing these centers. Additionally

from the perspectives of government guidance and institutional implementation

a dual-path development approach is proposed to support the high-quality advancement of water-saving technology innovation centers.