Abstract: The successful experience of German cooperative innovation is worthy of studying and reference. The article points out that institutions, law, policy and regulation are necessary guarantee for achieving the cooperative innovation between universities and state-owned research institutes, and that there are five common patterns and two individualistic patterns of German cooperative innovation. The authors also show that governmental guidance and initiative are necessary for cooperative innovation between universities and state-owned research institutes, that the heterogeneous yet complementary mechanism between universities and state-owned research institutes is the inner force that brings about cooperation, and that the expense-oriented mechanism is an important bond for the positive feedback of the cooperative innovation. Moreover, there are multiple levels and comprehensive features in the cooperative innovation between universities and state-owned research institutes. Finally, three points of suggestion are proposed about cooperative innovation between universities and state-owned research institutes in China.

Key words: German, universities, sated-owned research institutes, cooperative innovation, pattern