Cure Innovation Index places the U No. 27 nationally, highlighting the university's growing strength in moving biomedical research toward startups, partnerships and real-world health impact
The University of Utah has been ranked No. 27 out of 243 U.S. research universities in the Cure Innovation Index, a national benchmark of biomedical innovation.
The ranking puts the U among the country’s top universities for moving biomedical research toward health care solutions, startups and industry partnerships. It also points to a bigger shift happening across the university: the U is getting faster and more deliberate about helping good ideas move out of the lab.
That momentum shows up in the numbers. While the U ranks roughly No. 47 nationally in annual research expenditures, it ranks 20 spots higher in the Cure Innovation Index. In other words, the university is punching above its weight, producing biomedical innovation outcomes that outpace what research spending alone might predict.
For the U, the ranking is more than a badge of recognition. It is a sign that years of investment in research, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, and industry partnerships are starting to show up nationally.
President Taylor Randall has often framed this work as part of higher education’s “third evolution”: taking learning and knowledge beyond campus to improve lives and change the world. He has also called for the university to pick up its “clock speed,” helping research reach markets and communities more quickly.
The Cure ranking suggests that clock speed is increasing, especially in biomedical innovation.
Measuring the path from discovery to impact
The Cure Innovation Index evaluates how well universities move biomedical research toward real-world health solutions. The index uses 25 indicators across three areas: Research Capabilities, Entrepreneurial Readiness, and Market Translation.
The University of Utah ranked No. 29 in Entrepreneurial Readiness, No. 34 in Market Translation, and No. 53 in Research Capabilities.
Those strengths matter because biomedical breakthroughs rarely move forward on science alone. A promising device, diagnostic, therapeutic, or digital health tool often needs clinical insight, regulatory guidance, industry connections, early funding, and a team that knows how to navigate the path from idea to use.
Cure’s broader report, based on a survey of 3,395 biomedical researchers, found that many discoveries stall because researchers lack such support. That is where the U’s ranking becomes significant: its strongest performance came in the categories that measure the systems around the science, not just the science itself.
“This recognition reflects something we see every day at the University of Utah: a research community focused on real world impact,” said Erin Rothwell, vice president for research. “Our faculty, students and partners are not only asking important questions; they are building ideas that can improve lives, strengthen Utah’s economy and contribute to innovative healthcare solutions that change lives.”
A connected innovation ecosystem
The ranking reflects years of work to build a more connected innovation ecosystem at the U - one that links research, clinical expertise, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement. The university's innovation ecosystem brings together resources across campus to help ideas move from discovery toward use.
Through resources such as the Technology Licensing Office, Center for Medical Innovation, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and Doman Innovation Studio, the university supports innovators at multiple stages. Students can test early ideas. Faculty can explore the commercial potential of new discoveries. Researchers and entrepreneurs can connect with mentors, investors, industry partners, and commercialization pathways.
That ecosystem is also shaped by Utah's broader innovation economy. The university reports $781.9 million in FY2025 research funding and $1.6 billion in statewide economic output from research. It is home to a top-10 entrepreneurship program and has been ranked No. 1 nationally for likelihood of producing unicorn startup founders.
Together, those strengths give the U a distinctive role: a flagship research university with the scale, partnerships and entrepreneurial culture to help ideas move quickly from campus into the marketplace.
“Biomedical innovation takes clear pathways, trusted partners and strong support systems,” said Jason Young, senior director of commercialization. “At the University of Utah, those connections help promising ideas move toward patients, companies and communities. This ranking reflects the strength of that approach and the national momentum behind it.”
Momentum with a purpose
The Cure Innovation Index gives the U an external marker for something already visible across campus: the university is building more ways for research to move.
For faculty and students, that means clearer paths from early ideas to patents, companies, partnerships and clinical use. For industry partners and investors, it means a stronger front door into the U’s biomedical research pipeline. For Utah, it means a flagship research university helping turn scientific strength into health solutions, companies and economic growth.
The U’s No. 27 national ranking is not the finish line. It is a signal that the university’s innovation engine is gaining speed and that more biomedical ideas developed here have a better chance of moving farther, faster.
