Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
George Washington University
#61 in Universities
61Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
61
113
Rank in
Research Capabilities
42
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
58
Rank in
Market Translation
Washington D.C., DC
George Washington University ranks 61st among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, situated in Washington, D.C. The university performs in the upper tier in both Market Translation and Entrepreneurial Readiness, with Research Capabilities placing closer to the middle of the field. Its entrepreneurship infrastructure spans an incubator, an entrepreneur-in-residence program, biomedical entrepreneurship training, and an MD/MBA dual degree option. The university holds a Clinical and Translational Science Award and supports clinical trials with faculty serving as principal investigators, reflecting consistent attention to the translation side of the research pipeline.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
George Washington University 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, George Washington University fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
George Washington 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, George Washington University fared best in Faculty Engagement.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
George Washington University 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, George Washington University fared best in Health Impact.
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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.
