PVA/PVP/ collagen composite hydrogel with high biological activity was prepared by a combination of irradiation crosslinking and freezing/ thawing cycles. The effect of PVP content and collagen on water content, swelling property and mechanical property of the hydrogel were studied. The biocompatibility of PVA/PVP and PVA/PVP/collagen hydrogel was tested by MTT. The results showed that PVA/PVP/collagen hydrogel scaffolds with high swelling property can be obtained by the combination of radiation crosslinking and freezing/ thawing cycles. Collagen was helpful to improve the swelling performance of PVA/PVP hydrogel while the mechanical property was decreased. Biocompatibility study showed that PVA/PVP/collagen hydrogel had better biocompatibility compared with the PVA/PVP hydrogel, and was more conducive to promote cell growth.