Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
Boston University
#24 in Universities
24Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
24
42
Rank in
Research Capabilities
8
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
27
Rank in
Market Translation
Boston, MA
Boston University ranks 24th among 243 universities in the Cure Innovation Index, with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. The university's profile is balanced between discovery and translation, with strong standing in Market Translation and its highest domain rank in Entrepreneurial Readiness, where it places eighth. It holds a Clinical and Translational Science Award and hosts an MSTP program, an MD/MBA dual degree, an on-campus incubator, entrepreneur-in-residence program, and biomedical entrepreneurship training, giving it one of the stronger entrepreneurial profiles among U.S. universities in the index.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
Boston University ranked above 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, Boston University fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
Boston University ranked above 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, Boston University fared best in Ecosystem Support.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
Boston University ranked above 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, Boston University fared best in Health Impact.
Learn More
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.
