Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

What Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute does

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is Australia's only medical research institute dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of heart disease and diabetes. Founded in 1926 by the Baker family and headquartered at 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, the not-for-profit organisation celebrated its centenary in 2026 and operates across four research programs—Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Diabetes, and Obesity—addressing Australia's two leading causes of mortality. It runs an integrated bench-to-bedside portfolio spanning advanced research platforms (Centre for Cardiometabolic mRNA Therapy, CRISPR Validation Platform, Biomarker Discovery, Single-Cell Omics, Metabolomic Profiling, Microscopy, Proteomics, EpiMed Centre, Translational Cardiology Centre, and an Imaging Facility with MRI, ultrasound, PET, MicroCT, fluorescence and photoacoustic modalities), direct patient services via Baker Specialist Clinics (cardiology, diabetes, dietetics, exercise physiology, insulin pump service, ophthalmology, respiratory, weight management), a clinical trials pipeline (including COG-HF, EAGER, FAME, PREDICT, ReCET, SMART-T2D studies), health professional training, and consumer health education through its Health Hub and Good Food Everyday television series.

The institute generates revenue through a hybrid model that combines philanthropic donations and bequests, competitive government research grants (primarily NHMRC and National Heart Foundation of Australia), fee-for-service contract research with pharmaceutical and biotech industry partners, patient clinical services billed through Medicare and private health insurance, and licensing/commercialisation of intellectual property. It serves patient populations with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, healthcare professionals, donors and philanthropic foundations, and industry partners. The institute is anchored by a dense ecosystem of academic partnerships (Monash, Melbourne, Deakin, La Trobe, RMIT, Swinburne, and Torrens universities), a jointly governed Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes, and a clinical-translational footprint through the Alfred Research Alliance (with research ethics oversight via the Alfred, Bellbery, and Central Australia HRECs). Strategic leadership comprises NHMRC and National Heart Foundation fellows, a CSL Centenary Fellow, and Order of Australia recipients, supported by the donor-funded Bright Sparks Scholarship Program for early-career researchers.

Name

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Legal name

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Website

https://baker.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is a Melbourne-based, not-for-profit medical research organisation founded in 1926 that operates Australia's only institute dedicated exclusively to heart disease and diabetes, delivering bench-to-bedside research, clinical trials, and Baker Specialist Clinics patient services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Institute

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Imaging & Cardiac Safety Core Labs (ECOG/EEG/ECG) (HLAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diabetes (General) (HLAKADAA)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular disease research
• Diabetes research
• Clinical trial services
• Translational medicine
• Medical research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations and Fundraising: Individual donors, trusts and foundations provide charitable contributions to support research activities. The institute conducts regular fundraising campaigns including tax-effective giving appeals.
2. Government Research Grants: Funding from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), National Heart Foundation, and other government bodies supporting research programs and fellowships.
3. Contract Research Services: Fee-for-service research engagements with pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and other industry partners conducting clinical trials and studies.
4. Patient Clinical Services: Revenue from Baker Specialist Clinics providing cardiology, diabetes, and related patient healthcare services including specialist consultations and diabetes technology services.
5. Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation: Collaborative research and potential licensing revenue from industry partnerships in drug discovery, diagnostics, and medical technology development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is an Australian not-for-profit medical research organisation that conducts multidisciplinary research into cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, supported by a portfolio of advanced research platforms (mRNA therapy, CRISPR, single-cell omics, imaging, metabolomics, proteomics). It also delivers direct patient care through Baker Specialist Clinics in cardiology, diabetes, weight management and related disciplines, and runs an extensive clinical trials program alongside health professional training and health education resources.

Product overview

The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute operates as a not-for-profit medical research organization offering a broad portfolio of research, clinical, and educational services. Its primary offerings include patient-facing clinical services (Cardiology, Diabetes Clinic, Dietitians, Exercise Physiology, Insulin Pump Service, Ophthalmology, Respiratory, Weight Management), health education resources (fact sheets, health explainers, healthy recipes), and research platforms (mRNA therapy, metabolomics, proteomics, CRISPR validation, single-cell omics). The MaxYield™ ECG Analytics Platform, accessed through a research partnership with AI/ML Innovations Inc., represents the Institute's involvement in AI-powered cardiovascular diagnostics research. The Institute conducts extensive clinical trials (including COG-HF, EAGER, FAME, PREDICT, ReCET studies) and supports student research through the Bright Sparks Scholarship Program. The Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes represents a joint initiative with Deakin University for prevention and management science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bright Sparks Scholarship Program: A scholarship program providing PhD top-up scholarships, stipends, travel awards, novel research grants, and early career fellowships funded by donor generosity.

Products and services

• Baker Specialist Clinics
• Clinical Trials Program
• Contract Research Services
• Research Programs (Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Diabetes, Obesity)

Quantifiable outcome

• 490 peer-reviewed publications from single researcher (Professor Paul Nestel) over 50-year career
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and secondary.

• NeuralCloud Solutions Inc. (AI/ML Innovations Inc. subsidiary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Research services agreement for AI-powered ECG signal processing using NeuralCloud's proprietary MaxYield™ platform to support a cardiovascular study examining heart rate variability in post-exertional malaise patients. Baker Institute serves as the academic research partner providing study design and clinical expertise.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative creating the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes, a collaborative unit focused on turning prevention and management science into real-world impact for people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes. Combines research, clinical, and community practitioner expertise.
• Monash UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for student supervision, joint research programs, and collaborative studies in cardiovascular and diabetes research. Multiple faculty members hold joint appointments.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing student supervision, honorary appointments, and collaborative research across multiple institute laboratories. Faculty members hold honorary and adjunct positions.
• La Trobe UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration with joint appointments including Associate Professor Alex Pinto and student supervision arrangements.
• RMIT UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for student supervision and research collaboration, particularly in engineering and biomedical science applications.
• Swinburne UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for joint research and student supervision across cardiovascular and metabolic research programs.
• Torrens UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing student supervision arrangements across multiple research programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Centenary Institute: Sydney-based medical research institute focused on infectious diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Comparable in size, structure, and Australian NFP funding model.
• Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research: Western Australian medical research institute focused on diseases including cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. Comparable as an Australian NFP research institute with similar patient-clinic-research integration.
• Joslin Diabetes Center: Boston-based global leader in diabetes research and clinical care affiliated with Harvard. Comparable on singular focus on diabetes, integrated research-clinical-education model, and global brand in diabetes.
• The George Institute for Global Health: Australia-headquartered medical research institute with significant clinical trial infrastructure in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Comparable for clinical trial scale, international collaborations, and chronic disease research focus.
• Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Major Australian medical research institute covering genomics, diabetes, and metabolic disease. Comparable as a Sydney-based NFP research institute with similar funding model, peer-reviewed output focus, and translational research orientation.
• Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute: Australian cardiovascular-focused medical research institute based in Sydney. Most directly comparable peer given similar mission (heart disease research), Australian geography, not-for-profit structure, and reliance on government grants and philanthropy.
• South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI): Australian health and medical research institute with similar operational scale, NHMRC reliance, and translational research model. Comparable as a peer NFP medical research organisation.
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute: Queensland-based medical research institute with similar Australian NFP structure, NHMRC funding reliance, and broad research program portfolio. Comparable scale and operating model for benchmarking.
• Heart Research Institute: Sydney-based medical research institute dedicated exclusively to cardiovascular disease. Highly comparable on disease specialization and Australian NFP research institute structure.

Emerging players

• National Heart Foundation of Australia: Not a research institute but a major funder/partner of cardiovascular research in Australia. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player with overlapping research, education, and patient engagement missions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BaratchiLab
• Xx.com/baker_idi
• Facebookfacebook.com/159526320740246
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baker-heart-and-diabetes-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute