Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
University of Washington, Seattle
#19 in Universities
19Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
19
15
Rank in
Research Capabilities
73
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
10
Rank in
Market Translation
Seattle, WA
The University of Washington, Seattle ranks 19th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index. The university performs well across all three domains, with Research Capabilities and Market Translation placing it among the top-ranked universities in the U.S., while Entrepreneurial Readiness is also above average. Its infrastructure includes a Medical Scientist Training Program, an MD/MBA dual degree, an incubator and accelerator, an entrepreneur-in-residence program, and a Clinical and Translational Science Award. Faculty serve as principal investigators on clinical trials, and the university's profile reflects a balance between basic discovery and applied translation.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
University of Washington, Seattle 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 Washington, Seattle fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
University of Washington, Seattle 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 Washington, Seattle fared best in Ecosystem Support.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
University of Washington, Seattle 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 Washington, Seattle 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.
