Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation

What Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation does

The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) is a non-profit academic research institute within Deakin University, established in December 2019 and headquartered at the School of Medicine in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It operates with a team of more than 400 researchers across seven research streams: biomedical science, lifestyle and chronic disease, mental health research, clinical trials and interventions, drug discovery and repurposing, food and mood, infection/immunity/cancer, molecular medicine, and population health. Its mission is to translate laboratory discoveries into clinical treatments for mental health conditions and chronic diseases, operating as a bridge between bench research and bedside care through partnerships with Barwon Health, Swinburne University, and other clinical trial sites.

IMPACT's core technology platforms include a stem-cell drug discovery platform that uses human adult stem cells to generate patient-derived co-cultures of neurons and astrocytes ('brain in a dish') for disease modeling and drug repurposing, a gut microbiome research program using faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for conditions including Long COVID, and a malaria parasite research program targeting CLAG proteins and nutrient absorption pathways. The institute runs multiple active clinical trials including SYNDICAT ($5M NHMRC-funded schizophrenia drug repurposing), GLOW Trial (FMT for Long COVID), TIDE Trial (trimetazidine for bipolar depression, 260 participants across Australia/Korea/Spain/India), CALM Trial (lifestyle therapy vs psychotherapy for depression), and ZenZone (probiotic yoghurt for childhood depression). It also operates the Food and Mood Centre (nutritional psychiatry research) and the Food and Mood Academy (online education platform with 85,000+ enrolments).

Revenue derives almost entirely from competitive Australian government research grants, primarily from NHMRC and MRFF, with disclosed grant awards exceeding AUD $30 million cumulatively across 2023-2025. Secondary revenue comes from fee-based professional development courses through the Food and Mood Academy, alongside free educational offerings. IMPACT is led by Director Professor Michael Berk (also NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and 2026 Officer of the Order of Australia) and Deputy Director Professor Ken Walder, with Felice Jacka as Director of the Food & Mood Centre.

Name

Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation

Legal name

Deakin Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation

Website

https://impact.deakin.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IMPACT is a Deakin University research institute of 400+ researchers that translates biomedical and clinical research into treatments for mental health conditions and chronic diseases via stem-cell drug discovery, microbiome research, and clinical trials, funded primarily by Australian NHMRC and MRFF grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Neurocognitive Therapeutics (Digital) (HLACANAI)

Keywords

• Biomedical research institute
• Clinical trial research
• Drug discovery
• Mental health research
• Nutritional psychiatry

Headquarters

HQ city

Geelong

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: IMPACT operates as an academic research institute funded primarily through competitive government grants including NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) and MRFF (Medical Research Future Fund) grants. Notable grants include $5 million NHMRC Synergy Grant for schizophrenia research, $3 million for RESET stroke program, $1 million for Long COVID research, and $838k for malaria research.
2. Educational Programs and Training: The Food and Mood Academy generates revenue through professional development courses. One course is free online (Food and Mood - Improving Mental Health through Diet and Nutrition), while others provide fee-based training for health professionals in lifestyle medicine for mental health.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Deakin IMPACT is an academic research institute that conducts biomedical, clinical, and population health research on mental and physical health conditions. It translates discoveries from laboratory bench to clinical bedside through drug discovery and repurposing, clinical trials, and lifestyle interventions, and it delivers evidence-based professional education via the Food and Mood Academy.

Product overview

Deakin IMPACT is a research institute comprising multiple research centres and clinical trial programs focused on mental and physical health. The institute operates the Food and Mood Centre (research on diet and mental health), the Food and Mood Academy (online education platform), and the Digital Interventions TRIALS team. Key clinical trials include the GLOW Trial (gut-based therapy for Long COVID), TIDE Trial (bipolar depression treatment), and SYNDICAT Project (schizophrenia drug repurposing). The institute combines biomedical discovery, clinical research, and population health approaches to develop innovative diagnostics, treatments, and therapies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Food and Mood Centre: Research centre focused on the relationship between nutrition, diet, and mental health outcomes

Products and services

• Food and Mood Academy
• Food and Mood - Improving Mental Health through Diet and Nutrition (Free Online Course)
• Lifestyle Medicine for Mental Health Services (Life and Mind)
• GLOW Trial (Gut-based Long COVID Therapy Trial)
• TIDE Trial (Trimetazidine for Bipolar Depression Trial)
• SYNDICAT Project (Schizophrenia Drug Repurposing Trial)
• Digital Interventions TRIALS Team
• ZenZone Trial

Quantifiable outcome

• Lifestyle therapy achieved 42% improvement in depressive symptoms compared to 37% for psychotherapy in CALM trial
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Fondation FondamentalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026International partner leading the Lancet Commission on Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders. Co-led by Professor Marion Leboyer with Deakin's Professor Michael Berk as co-author.
• Geelong Long COVID ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Partner in the GLOW Trial investigating gut-based therapy for Long COVID treatment.
• Emerge AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Partner organization connecting researchers with the Long COVID community for the GLOW Trial.
• Australian Red Cross LifebloodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Manufacturing FMT (faecal microbiota transplant) product under TGA standards for clinical trials, sourced from Perth stool donors.
• James Cook UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborated to design the Lifestyle Medicine for Mental Health Services (Life and Mind) professional development course.
• Barwon HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary healthcare partner for clinical trials and research. Hosts the Adrian Costa Clinical Trials Centre and Swanston Centre for mental health services. Partnership includes the Barwon Health-Deakin Clinician Scientist Pathway initiative.
• Murdoch Children's Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in the Barwon Infant Study, a longitudinal study following 913 children from infancy to track autism and health outcomes.
• Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Deakin's School of Medicine and Barwon Health focused on infectious disease and immunology research including malaria and antibiotic resistance.
• Swinburne UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical trial site for SYDNICAT schizophrenia research at Hawthorn Campus where participants attend face-to-face assessments.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Black Dog Institute: Australian medical research institute focused on mental health, including depression and bipolar disorder research, clinical trials, and digital interventions. Directly comparable as a fellow Australian mental health research institute with translational focus.
• Orygen: Australian youth mental health research institute conducting clinical trials and translational research on psychotic disorders, depression, and suicide prevention. Comparable scope in mental health research and clinical translation.
• The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health: Australia's largest brain research institute, focused on neuroscience and mental health including drug discovery. Comparable as a university-affiliated, government-funded neuroscience research institute with drug discovery pipelines.
• Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health: Monash University-affiliated Australian research institute focused on brain and mental health across the lifespan. Comparable scope in mental health, neuroscience, and chronic disease research with similar funding model.
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute: Major Australian medical research institute conducting clinical trials and translational research across infectious disease, mental health, and chronic disease. Comparable translational research model with NHMRC/MRFF grant funding.
• Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute: Australian medical research institute focused on chronic disease (cardiovascular, diabetes) with clinical translation programs. Comparable as a non-profit academic research institute with multi-disease translational scope.

Others

• International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (ISNPR): Global scientific society founded by Felice Jacka (IMPACT's Food & Mood Centre Director) advancing nutritional psychiatry research. Comparable as ecosystem participant and direct connection to IMPACT's founding of the field.

Broad incumbents

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital and research institute, with extensive clinical trial infrastructure and translational mental health research. Comparable global scale mental health research enterprise.
• Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (King's College London): One of Europe's largest mental health research institutes, conducting clinical trials and translational research across psychiatric disorders. Comparable global academic mental health research enterprise.

Regional players

• SMRI (Sydney Mental Health Research Institute) / Mindgardens Neuroscience Network: Australian mental health research consortium focused on translational psychiatry and clinical trials, including UNSW-affiliated SMRI. Comparable Australian regional mental health translational research focus.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impactdeakin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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