Cure Innovation Index ranks Carolina 5th among publics, 18th overall

UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 18th among U.S. universities and fifth among publics in the inaugural Cure Innovation Index. The comprehensive new assessment measures how effectively leading biomedical research institutions translate scientific discovery into real-world medical impact.

The index evaluates 303 institutions nationwide. It’s the first ranking system designed to measure not only research output but also entrepreneurial readiness and the ability to convert discoveries into clinical and commercial applications.

Carolina placed in the upper tier across all three measured domains — research capabilities, entrepreneurial readiness and market translation — underscoring the University’s balanced strength across the full biomedical innovation pipeline.

The index draws on more than a dozen federal and commercial datasets, an institutional audit and survey responses from more than 3,000 biomedical researchers, industry leaders and experts. It also incorporates findings from a nationwide survey of 3,395 U.S. researchers examining barriers to commercialization, including gaps in technology transfer support, limited access to early-stage funding and insufficient commercialization training.

Contributing factors to Carolina’s high ranking include:

• Clinical and Translational Science Award program
• Faculty-led clinical trials
• Dual-degree training pathways like the medical scientist training program and MD/MBA program
• Entrepreneurship support system featuring an incubator, entrepreneur-in-residence program and biomedical entrepreneurship training

The ranking underscores UNC-Chapel Hill’s position as a leading national research university with growing strength in translational science and biomedical entrepreneurship.