Burnet Institute

What Burnet Institute does

Burnet Institute is an independent, non-profit medical research institute founded in 1986 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It operates an ISO 9001-certified laboratory supporting 30 active clinical and implementation trials, and conducts research, disease surveillance, and public health program delivery across infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis B and C, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19), sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drugs, healthy ageing and non-communicable diseases, women's and children's health, and young people's health.

The institute's product surface spans two layers. The first is a portfolio of research programs and longitudinal data assets, most notably the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll survey which has tracked young Australians' health behaviours since 2005. The second is a commercialisation arm covering vaccines, diagnostics, microbiome research, the proprietary Stellabody® platform, ageing and inflammation, and the Burnext initiative. Distribution is non-commercial: outputs flow through peer-reviewed publication, contracted federal and state health programs, DFAT-funded international development projects in Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, and community-level health interventions.

Burnet's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial, drawing on the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Scheme, the Victorian Medical Research Accelerator Fund, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, philanthropic trusts and foundations, and individual donations. Customers are primarily federal and state government health agencies and international development organisations, with NGOs and community health organisations as a secondary segment. Total revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Burnet Institute

Legal name

The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Ltd

Website

https://burnet.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Burnet Institute is an Australian non-profit medical research institute founded in 1986 that conducts infectious disease, public health, and sexual health research across 70+ countries and translates findings into clinical trials, government programs, and a commercialisation portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research and Public Health Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vaccine Clinical Development & Regulatory Affairs (HLAIAEAM), Health Security, Pandemic Preparedness & Response (IHR, EID) (BPADAIAH), Pharmacovigilance Quality & Compliance (PV audits, QPPV support, PSMF) (HLAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Medical research institute
• Infectious disease research
• Public health programs
• Clinical trials research
• Vaccine development

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Burnet Institute is an independent medical research institute that conducts laboratory and field research, clinical trials, and implementation science across infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis B and C, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19), sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drugs, healthy ageing, women's and children's health, and pandemic preparedness. It also operates a commercialisation arm developing vaccines, diagnostics, microbiome therapeutics, and the proprietary Stellabody® technology platform.

Product overview

Burnet Institute operates as a medical research institute offering a portfolio of research programs, clinical trials, and commercialisation initiatives across multiple health focus areas. The organisation's work spans health themes including infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis B and C, malaria, tuberculosis/COVID-19), sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drugs, healthy ageing, and women's and children's health. The commercialisation arm focuses on developing products in vaccines, diagnostics, microbiome research, and the proprietary Stellabody® technology platform, as well as Burnext and ageing/inflammation research. Research activities are supported by an ISO 9001-certified laboratory conducting clinical and implementation trials, with published research and student opportunities available through their projects programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stellabody® technology: A technology platform in the commercialisation portfolio focused on microbiome research.
• Burnext
• Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (EC Australia)

Products and services

• Infectious Diseases Research

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The George Institute for Global Health: Global health research institute with comparable scale, international footprint, and focus on diseases of disadvantaged populations, including NCDs and health systems research.
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi): Non-profit R&D organisation developing treatments for neglected diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries — directly comparable mission and product-development-partnership (PDP) model.
• International Vaccine Institute (IVI): International organisation dedicated to vaccine development and delivery for developing countries — directly comparable mission in vaccines, global health, and translational research partnerships.
• Kirby Institute (UNSW Sydney): UNSW-affiliated institute focused on HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmissible infections, and global health — directly comparable research portfolio and target populations.
• Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity: Joint University of Melbourne / Royal Melbourne Hospital institute focused on infectious disease and immunity — direct peer given Burnet's HIV, malaria, hepatitis, and pandemic preparedness work.
• Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI): Largest Australian medical research institute based in Melbourne, with overlapping disease areas including infectious diseases, immunology, and clinical translation. Directly comparable in scale, funding model, and translational mission.

Regional players

• Murdoch Children's Research Institute: Major Australian paediatric and child health research institute; overlapping in maternal/child health and infectious disease research, with shared Melbourne base.
• Telethon Kids Institute: Western Australia-based paediatric and child health research institute with overlapping infectious disease and Aboriginal health research programs; comparable scale and funding model.

Broad incumbents

• PATH: Large global health non-profit working across vaccines, diagnostics, and infectious diseases with implementation research — broader portfolio but comparable translational model and donor-funded structure.
• Institut Pasteur: Historic French non-profit research institute with global infectious disease research network and laboratory infrastructure — a much larger incumbent in the same category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/burnetinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burnet-institute

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burnet Institute