Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
Children's Mercy Hospital
#46 in Institutes and Centers
46Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
46
34
Rank in
Research Capabilities
34
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
51
Rank in
Market Translation
Kansas City, MO
Children's Mercy Hospital ranks 46th among the 60 biomedical institutes in the Cure Innovation Index and is located in Kansas City, Missouri. The hospital's performance reflects a balance between discovery and translation activities, with research capabilities as its relative strength and market translation as its least developed area. An incubator and accelerator program contributes to its applied research infrastructure. One of the few pediatric-focused institutions in the Cure Innovation Index rankings, Children's Mercy brings a specialized mission to U.S. biomedical research.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
Children's Mercy Hospital ranked below average for Research Capabilities, a measure of the foundational infrastructure and resources that enable an institution to conduct high-quality, innovative science. Out of the factors in this category, Children's Mercy Hospital fared best in Facilities/Equipment.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
Children's Mercy Hospital ranked below average for Entrepreneurial Readiness, a measure of whether the institution has built a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurship and whether faculty are engaged in and incentivized toward commercial activity. Out of the factors in this category, Children's Mercy Hospital fared best in Faculty Engagement.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
Children's Mercy Hospital ranked below average for Market Translation, a measure of how effectively a research institution moves scientific discovery out of the lab and into real-world clinical and commercial applications. Out of the factors in this category, Children's Mercy Hospital fared best in Industry Reputation.
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Cure Innovation Index Methodology
From a pool of more than 6,000 institutions, the top 303 were ranked using two dozen indicators — from scientific foundation and lab infrastructure to patents, products, and partnerships — drawn from more than a dozen federal and commercial databases, an original audit of all institutions, and surveys of more than 3,300+ scientists, industry leaders, and biomedical experts.
Insights From the Cure Innovation Index
Explore by Category
Innovation isn't a single moment — it's an entire ecosystem. The Index evaluates institutions across two dozen indicators, grouped in three core domains that reveal the full picture of what it takes to turn groundbreaking science into real-world impact.
