Top Universities
Every university on this list represents the highest tier of U.S. biomedical research. We ranked 243 research universities across the United States on their ability to translate scientific discovery into real-world healthcare solutions, evaluated on 25 indicators across three core domains.
Princeton University
Princeton University ranks 101st among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, located in Princeton, New Jersey. Its research capabilities place it in the upper tier of the field, while market translation falls near the midpoint and entrepreneurial readiness is a developing area.
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Rush University
Rush University ranks 102nd among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, based in Chicago, Illinois. Its standing in Research Capabilities and Market Translation is above average, while Entrepreneurial Readiness remains a developing area relative to peer institutions.
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Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine, located in Atlanta, Georgia, ranks 103rd among universities in the Cure Innovation Index. Entrepreneurial Readiness is the institution's strongest domain, where it places 78th, supported by an incubator, biomedical entrepreneurship training, and an MD/MBA dual degree program.
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University of Massachusetts, Amherst
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst ranks 104th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index and is located in Amherst Center, Massachusetts. Its profile is defined by strong performance in Market Translation, where it places 26th, set against more limited standing in Research Capabilities and Entrepreneurial Readiness.
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Washington State University
Washington State University ranks 105th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, situated in Pullman, Washington. Research Capabilities land in the middle of the field, and Market Translation ranks toward the lower end of the category; Entrepreneurial Readiness is a standout, placing 68th.
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University of Houston
The University of Houston ranks 106th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index. Located in Houston, Texas, it stands out most in market translation, where it ranks 64th, well above the midpoint of the university field.
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SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University ranks 107th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index. Based in Brooklyn, New York, this public health sciences center performs strongest in Research Capabilities, where it places 84th.
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Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University ranks 108th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, based in St. Louis, Missouri. Market translation is where the university performs most strongly, placing 63rd, a notable gap above its overall standing.
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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ranks 109th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, based in Lubbock, Texas. As a health sciences university serving West Texas, it holds a strong position in Research Capabilities and performs above average in Entrepreneurial Readiness, while Market Translation remains an area of relative development.
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Northeastern University
Northeastern University, based in Boston, Massachusetts, ranks 110th among 243 universities in the Cure Innovation Index. The university's profile is stronger in market translation and entrepreneurial readiness than in research capabilities, a pattern consistent with its well-known focus on applied and experiential learning.
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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.
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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.
Insights From the Cure Innovation Index




