Cure
Overview
As part of the Cure Innovation Index, we surveyed 3,395 U.S. biomedical researchers to understand why discoveries aren't consistently commercialized and what the highest-performing institutions do differently.
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Executive Summary
The United States leads the world in discovery of biomedical breakthroughs but those discoveries are not consistently translated into real-world impact. Cure surveyed 3,395 biomedical researchers at leading institutions across the country to find out why and to identify the roadblocks researchers face when trying to take their discoveries beyond the lab. What researchers described was not a lack of innovation, but a system that is not built to support commercialization. The barriers they described were structural, operational, and cultural, showing up at every stage of the journey from discovery to commercialization. The survey was conducted as part of the Cure Innovation Index, which ranks institutions based on their ability to support the full journey from discovery to commercialization.
The results of the survey show three broad areas where the system fails the researchers. Technology transfer offices that are equipped to handle patents effectively but are not staffed or structured to offer connections to industry. Only 28% rated their TTOs as effective at building those connections. Another major roadblock is continuity of capital, with three out of four researchers unable to fund basic proof-of-concept work, preventing their ability to advance discoveries far enough to attract outside investment. Finally, a near-total absence of commercialization training is the biggest roadblock. Just 22% rated basic workshops offered by tech transfer offices as adequate, the lowest score in the entire survey.
Graphic by Andrew James for Cure
These barriers show up across every institutional rank, from R1 research universities to regional medical schools, and don’t exist in isolation. A researcher who cannot find an industry partner is unlikely to find bridge funding. One who cannot find funding struggles to access training.
The data also reveal where the system works. Higher-ranked institutions on the Cure Innovation Index separate themselves through commercialization literacy built into the institution itself. The clearest dividing line falls on training: 33% of top-25 institutions rate FDA training as adequate, versus 16% in the bottom tier.
This paper outlines the barriers researchers face, where the system falls short, and what the highest-performing institutions do differently. The patterns are consistent, and the fixes are structural. The Cure Innovation Index was built to measure these differences and give institutions a roadmap from discovery to commercialization.
