With the introduction of the concept of new quality productive forces, scientific and technological innovation has become the core driver of high-quality socio-economic development. This paper, grounded in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on sci-tech innovation and new quality productive forces, explores the cultivation of college students’ innovation capabilities from the perspective of new quality productive forces. The interaction between new quality productive forces and students’ innovation ability is a bidirectional empowerment process driven by demand, resource integration, and ecosystem restructuring. On one hand, external factors such as technology and institutional frameworks provide the fuel for student innovation; on the other hand, students’ innovative practices in turn contribute to the advancement of new quality productive forces. The paper further examines current challenges in cultivating college students’ innovation capacity, including disconnections between curricula and real-world needs, underdeveloped training mechanisms, and insufficient initiative among students. In response, it recommends that universities reform their education models to enhance students’ overall competence and innovative potential, thereby aligning with the evolving demands of new quality productive forces and supporting sustainable socio-economic development.