Abstract: The key to building an innovative country is to construct a symbiotic innovation system that reflects the characteristics of China′s localization, and strive to achieve the independent innovation with Chinese characteristics based on collaborative innovation practice mode in colleges and universities. Collaborative innovation in colleges and universities is not only one of the core carriers for construction of an innovative country, but also the important and indispensable to China′s independent innovation. The concept of "symbiosis" was first proposed and promoted in the field of biology. Subsequently, it was absorbed and used for reference by other disciplines. Symbiosis theory has constructed a kind of disciplinary theory, that is: internal and external symbiosis is one of the important sources of evolution or innovation. It′s core is the symbiotic relationship formed by the pluralistic symbiotic units. Symbiosis theory system covers three-dimensional structural elements: symbiosis unit, symbiosis model and symbiosis environment.Based on symbiosis theory, the paper constructs an analytical framework of collaborative innovation in colleges and universities, analyzes the structure relationship among symbiosis unit, symbiosis relationship and symbiosis environment, investigates the practical model of symbiosis theory embedded in collaborative innovation of colleges and universities. Furthermore, the paper probes into the practical evolutionary logic of single beneficial symbiosis, differentiated ＆ mutually beneficial symbiosis, balanced ＆ mutually beneficial symbiosis. Under the premise of science & technology innovative culture and synergetic incentive mechanism, moderate guidance and regulation are indispensable to promote and achieve the effective allocation of multi-dimensional innovation elements (information, technology, talents and funds) among the main bodies of differentiated multi-symbiotic units (universities, governments, enterprises and scientific research institutions). Symbiotic units can achieve mutual synergy through effective interaction, and then gradually strengthen in the process of evolution, differentiated symbiotic units will also gradually construct their own organizational structure in the process of interacting with external resources and energy. Under this logic of action, collaborative innovation system gradually achieve the evolutionary logic and prospect from "single beneficial symbiosis" to "differentiated ＆ mutually beneficial symbiosis " to "balanced and mutually beneficial symbiosis".In order to promote the optimization of innovative mode of collaborative innovation in colleges and universities, perfect the governance system of symbiotic integration in collaborative innovation of colleges and universities and enhance the ability＆ sustainability of collaborative innovation in colleges and universities, we should construct a well-ordered system of coordination and innovative symbiosis, which is guided by external market demand, driven by collaborative technological innovation, symbiotic development as the core essence, colleges and universities (think tanks) as the support. Rebuild the organizational form of symbiotic collaborative innovation, by building innovative alliances with different dominant symbiotic populations such as universities and other symbiotic unit subjects, reconstructs the organizational form of collaborative innovation of "Industry-University-Research" in colleges and universities (think tanks), and finally realizes the orderly operation of collaborative innovation symbiotic system in colleges and universities. And build the platform of regional mutualism and symbiosis culture. Emphasis should be placed on building a "mutually beneficial symbiotic cultural platform" for collaborative innovation in colleges and universities, relying on the "mutually beneficial symbiotic cultural platform" to strengthen the construction of collaborative innovation symbiotic system in colleges and universities, actively cultivate different types of creator groups, create an institutional environment for building innovative culture, create a low-cost creator cultural space, construct an investment and financing mechanism of ecological culture, and promote the construction of eco-cultural platform of collaborative innovation symbiosis system in colleges and universities.

Key words:  symbiosis theory, collaborative innovation, logic of practice, optimization path