UC San Diego Ranked Among World’s Top 10 Universities Powering Global Innovation

Driving societal impact through startup creation and life sciences innovation

UC San Diego ranks fourth nationally for startup creation, according to a 2022 report by the Association of University Technology Managers. The university consistently transforms pioneering ideas into practical applications, contributing to one in four new inventions across the ten-campus University of California system. UC San Diego is ranked No. 1 in invention disclosures and licenses in the UC system, according to the University of California Technology Commercialization Report 2023.

With a legacy of launching more than a thousand companies—approximately two-thirds of which are in the life sciences—UC San Diego’s influence spans biotechnology to advanced medical technologies that enhance health diagnostics and treatments.

In 2024, UC San Diego-affiliated companies raised $1.9 billion in capital—a record-breaking milestone that reflects the university’s critical role as a driver of innovation and economic growth, according to the university’s Entrepreneurship Center.

Fueling this remarkable productivity is a comprehensive innovation ecosystem designed to bring groundbreaking ideas to life. The university supports its researchers through an extensive network of programs and offices, including more than a dozen accelerators and incubators and the state-of-the-art Design and Innovation Building. This facility provides crucial resources such as technology transfer support and a 10,000-square-foot makerspace, empowering both faculty and students to seamlessly navigate the journey from concept to commercialization.

Beyond infrastructure and resources, UC San Diego also enjoys a unique capacity to foster multidisciplinary collaborations. By connecting faculty across its expansive innovation ecosystem, the university accelerates breakthroughs in new technologies. Central to this approach is the Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC), which unifies innovation resources and offers strategic support throughout the commercialization process—from initial patent filings to market launch.

“The growing culture of entrepreneurism throughout the campus, aided by multiple innovation incubators and the endless desire and capacity of the students to change the world for good has made this new global ranking possible,” said Associate Vice Chancellor, Innovation and Commercialization Paul Roben. “In a few short years, UC San Diego has become a national destination for innovation.”

While there are some three dozen different programs and offices that the OIC helps coordinate, one that has made a particularly strong impact is the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE), a joint effort between UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering and the Rady School of Management that seeks to inspire and prepare engineers to be entrepreneurial leaders who can fuel the economy and solve problems facing society.

UC San Diego among top U.S. and global institutions recognized for innovation

UC San Diego is one of only two University of California campuses included in the Clarivate ranking. UC Berkeley placed fourth overall. Other U.S. universities placing among the top 10 include Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington and the University of Michigan.

The other institutions rounding out the top 10 listed by Clarivate from outside the United States are Université Paris Cité, University of Cambridge and the University of Toronto.