High level talents are the factor of labor force in productivity and the decisive factor in developing new quality productivity. The flow of high-level talents is a resource allocation method presented by labor prices in the process of human resource allocation. Driven by the national Double First-Class policy, the contradiction of imbalanced and insufficient development of universities in the western region is still prominent. The relative shortage of talent resources caused by the pressure of assessment and evaluation based on hard indicators such as doctoral ratio and professor ratio is still severe. Attracting outstanding high-level talents to join has become a key element for universities to win a competitive advantage. This social consensus has prompted universities and research units to adopt a talent poaching model, which has raised questions about the reasonable flow of high-level talents in society. To further explore the influencing factors, intrinsic motivations, and mechanisms of flow intention of high-level talents in universities in the western region of the new era, the study adopts literature review and field research methods. It is found that six main categories, including high expectations for economic benefits, good expectations for scientific research development, reasonable expectations for assessment and evaluation, comprehensive service guarantee expectations, ideal expectations for social adaptation, and expectations for a good talent environment, collectively constitute the influencing factors, and have a significant impact on the flow of high-level talents. Analyzing the deep-seated reasons, it is found that economic treatment directly affects the flow intention, development of scientific research and assessment and evaluation are the internal motivation of high-level talent flow. They directly affect the flow intention of high-level talents, and both reflect the relationship between the flow value and flow intention of high-level talents. Service guarantee, social adaptation and talent environment constitute the internal and external situation of high-level talent flow, which not only indirectly affects the flow intention by affecting the flow value, but also regulates the relationship between the flow value and the flow intention. Therefore, the storyline of direct cause → intrinsic cause (belonging to direct cause) → internal and external situation → flow intention can be used to describe the phenomenon of high-level talent flow intention in universities in the western region, and its core category can be determined as the influence mechanism of high-level talent flow intention in universities in the western region. Therefore, in the perspective of developing new quality productive forces, especially based on the model of high-level talent flow intention in universities in the western region, efforts should be made to reduce the flow intention of high-level talent by focusing on psychological income, building development platforms, improving institutional guarantees, and cultivating emotional identity.