Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
Virginia Commonwealth University
#57 in Universities
57Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
57
33
Rank in
Research Capabilities
94
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
65
Rank in
Market Translation
Richmond, VA
Virginia Commonwealth University, located in Richmond, Virginia, ranks 57th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index. Its profile leans toward discovery, with Research Capabilities ranking 33rd across all universities in the index. Market Translation falls in the upper tier, while Entrepreneurial Readiness sits in the middle range. VCU holds a Clinical and Translational Science Award and supports an MSTP program, an incubator, an entrepreneur-in-residence program, and faculty-led clinical trials. The university's strongest performance lies in research, with translation and commercialization infrastructure in place to support downstream application.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
Virginia Commonwealth 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, Virginia Commonwealth University fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked below 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, Virginia Commonwealth University fared best in Faculty Engagement.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
Virginia Commonwealth 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, Virginia Commonwealth 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.
