Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
Wake Forest University
#60 in Universities
60Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
60
37
Rank in
Research Capabilities
130
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
50
Rank in
Market Translation
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest University ranks 60th among universities in the Cure Innovation Index, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The university shows strength in both research capabilities and market translation, placing in the upper tier of universities in each domain. Entrepreneurial readiness is a developing area relative to those strengths. Wake Forest holds a Clinical and Translational Science Award and supports an incubator and biomedical entrepreneurship training. Its overall profile leans toward discovery, reflecting a research enterprise that outpaces its commercialization infrastructure.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
Wake Forest 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, Wake Forest University fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
Wake Forest 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, Wake Forest University fared best in Ecosystem Support.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
Wake Forest 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, Wake Forest 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.
