With the rapid development of information and communication technology, the new quality productive force has gradually become one of the key factors to promote scientific and technological innovation and promote the transformation and upgrading of industrial structure. Based on the essential connotation and three key characteristics of the new quality productive force, this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system and measures the development level of the new quality productive force by the entropy method, while the industrial structure advancement coefficient is employed to assess provincial industrial upgrading. This study examines the relationship and transmission mechanisms between the new quality productive force (NQPF), scientific and technological innovation (STI), and industrial structure optimization (ISO) using China’s provincial data (2012–2022) from the National Bureau of Statistics of China through the stepwise regression method. Based on a balanced panel of 330 province-year observations, the results show that NQPF significantly enhances STI, with stronger effects in regions with higher NQPF development. However, regional heterogeneity exists, with the eastern and central regions benefitting more than the western region. Additionally, mediation tests reveal that the NQPF fosters STI, thereby driving industrial upgrading. These findings highlight NQPF’s role in regional innovation and structural transformation.

The New Quality Productive Force (NQPF) serves as a key driver in narrowing regional economic disparities and promoting sustainable development. Clarifying the mechanism through which it affects regional economic disparities not only facilitates coordinated regional development but also provides critical insights for synergizing high-quality economic growth with ecological and environmental sustainability. Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2012 and 2022, this study systematically examines the impact of New Quality Productive Forces on regional economic disparities, analyzing the mediating role of scientific and technological innovation as well as the nonlinear moderating effect of urbanization rate on this relationship. The findings reveal: First, NQPF significantly contributes to narrowing regional economic disparities overall, but its effects exhibit notable regional heterogeneity—widening disparities in eastern regions while demonstrating significant convergence effects in central and western regions. Second, mechanism analysis indicates that scientific and technological innovation is a critical transmission channel through which NQPF reduces regional disparities, as NQPF indirectly promotes coordinated regional development by fostering technological innovation. Third, threshold effect tests show that the convergence effect of NQPF varies nonlinearly with urbanization levels, and its enabling effect weakens once urbanization exceeds a specific threshold. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are proposed, including continuously nurturing New Quality Productive Forces, strengthening the drive of scientific and technological innovation, and coordinating urbanization with ecological civilization construction. These measures aim to provide new momentum for achieving high-quality regional economic development and sustainable transformation.