The basic characteristics and spatio-temporal evolution law need to be excavated from “double first-class” university collaborative innovation in Yangtze River Delta. It is of great significance for promoting higher quality integration of Yangtze River Delta， and enhance the innovation origin ability of “double first-class” universities. Based on the authorized patent data of “double first-class” universities in Yangtze River Delta from 2012 to 2020， it investigated the differences and the spatio-temporal evolution law of university collaborative innovation in terms of spatio-temporal and subject distribution. Empirical findings suggest that the number of collaboratively authorized patents is entering a rapid growth， while the proportion of which still remains low， Shanghai and Anhui Province have shown opposite trends. With the stability of overall network density， the scale and strength of network nodes increase significantly. Sample universities perform various spatio-temporal evolution laws over time， yet high-level universities still occupy the central position in the network. Application-oriented collaboration between universities and enterprises is the main form of collaborative innovation， which is subject to geographic distance. However， theory-oriented collaboration between universities and universities， universities and scientific research institutes is not restricted by geographic distance. As a supplement to existent research， it also provides certain reference for practice.