Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
University of Utah
#27 in Universities
27Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
27
53
Rank in
Research Capabilities
29
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
34
Rank in
Market Translation
Salt Lake City, UT
The University of Utah ranks 27th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its strongest performance comes in Entrepreneurial Readiness and Market Translation, where it places among the top-ranked universities in the U.S. Research Capabilities also fall well above the median. The university holds a Clinical and Translational Science Award, supports an MSTP program and an MD/MBA dual degree, and maintains an incubator with an entrepreneur-in-residence program and biomedical entrepreneurship training. Faculty participation in clinical trials as principal investigators reflects a translational orientation that runs across the institution's research enterprise.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
University of Utah 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, University of Utah fared best in Cutting Edge Science.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
University of Utah 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, University of Utah fared best in Ecosystem Support.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
University of Utah 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, University of Utah 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.
