Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University

What Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University does

The Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) is a multidisciplinary research institute within Deakin University's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, focused on active living, sport, exercise, food, and nutrition research. Established as a formal institute in 2016, IPAN employs 130+ researchers and has attracted over $45 million in external research funds while publishing 3,000+ peer-reviewed articles in the same period. Its work spans five research domains: biology of health and disease, preventing and managing chronic conditions, healthy active living, food/nutrition and health, and cross-domain themes.

IPAN's portfolio is anchored by two flagship programs. INFANT is an evidence-based early-childhood program delivered through local early-years services and supported by a free mobile app (My Baby Now), reaching 17,000+ parents and carers across Australia with demonstrated outcomes including a 1.7 serves-per-week reduction in discretionary food intake. TransformUs integrates movement into school curricula and has reached 50,000+ students since 2008, with measured increases of 47 minutes of physical activity per week and 88% teacher-reported improvement in student work quality. In August 2025, IPAN launched Moving the Next Generation (MNG), a video-based AI assessment platform that evaluates motor skills in children aged 4-12 with 94-95% accuracy, co-developed with Deakin's Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation. Specialized centres include the Centre for Sport Research and the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes (a joint department with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute).

IPAN operates as a grant-funded entity rather than a commercial business. Revenue derives from research funding and partnership grants — primarily from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Victorian Government departments (Health, Education and Training), VicHealth, and industry partners such as the Peanut Institute and Australian Eggs. Core programs (INFANT, TransformUs) are delivered free to families and schools, with monetisation occurring indirectly through grant capture rather than direct pricing. Programs are distributed through government health services, schools, early-years providers, a network of 16 TransformUs stakeholder organisations, and a self-serve mobile app — a multi-channel dissemination model designed to translate evidence into policy and community practice.

Name

Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University

Legal name

Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition

Website

https://ipan.deakin.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) is a multidisciplinary research institute within Deakin University that conducts evidence-based research and delivers flagship programs (INFANT, TransformUs, MNG AI platform) to improve physical activity, nutrition, and chronic disease outcomes for Australian families, schools, and communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burwood, Victoria

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research funding and grants: External research funds from government bodies including NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) and other funding agencies. The institute has attracted over $45 million in external research funds since 2016.
2. Implementation partnerships: Partnership grants with government departments (Victorian Government Department Health, Sport and Recreation Victoria) and health promotion foundations for program implementation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IPAN is a research institute within Deakin University that conducts and translates interdisciplinary research in physical activity, nutrition, sport, and active living into evidence-based programs, digital tools, and policy recommendations aimed at preventing chronic disease and improving population health. It develops and disseminates scalable interventions for families, schools, communities, and healthcare settings, and partners with government, industry, and academic stakeholders to deliver population-level impact.

Product overview

The Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University is a multidisciplinary research institute focused on active living, sport, exercise, food and nutrition research. The portfolio consists of flagship programs (INFANT and TransformUs), mobile applications (My Baby Now), AI-powered assessment tools (Moving the Next Generation), and specialized research centers (Centre for Sport Research, Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes). These offerings work together to address childhood development, chronic disease prevention, and community health through evidence-based interventions, digital health tools, and sport science research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INFANT: World-renowned program helping families with healthy eating, active play and reduced screen time from the start of baby's life. Developed over 15+ years.
• TransformUs
• Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes
• Centre for Sport Research

Products and services

• INFANT Program
• TransformUs
• My Baby Now App
• Moving the Next Generation (MNG)
• Centre for Sport Research
• Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000+ parents and carers participated in INFANT program with sustained health outcomes by age five including increased fruit, vegetable and water intake
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Victorian Government Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NHMRC Partnership Grant (APP1161223) 2019-2025 funding implementation of INFANT program, with Victorian Government providing implementation funding alongside nine practice and policy partners.
• Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-funder of INFANT program implementation through NHMRC Partnership Grant supporting evidence-based health promotion initiatives.
• Victorian Department of Education and TrainingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017NHMRC Partnership Grant (APP1115708) funding TransformUs expansion into national primary schools, secondary schools, and children with additional needs.
• VicHealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner16-stakeholder partnership including VicHealth supporting TransformUs delivery and expansion across Victoria and interstate.
• Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey stakeholder organization in TransformUs partnership supporting implementation in Victorian schools.
• Sport and Recreation VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesting and funding for Moving the Next Generation (MNG) AI platform development through Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.
• Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation (IISRI)coreTechnology or IntegrationDeakin cross-institute collaboration developing machine learning platform for the Moving the Next Generation AI assessment tool.
• Baker Heart and Diabetes InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on microvascular blood flow and exercise metabolism, funded by NHMRC and National Heart Foundation of Australia.
• Baker Heart and Diabetes InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes advancing prevention and management of diabetes through lifestyle research.
• Victorian Principals AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStakeholder partner supporting TransformUs implementation and school engagement across Victoria.
• Peak Phys EdmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation sector partner providing professional expertise for TransformUs physical education components.
• Victorian Independent SchoolsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in TransformUs expansion enabling access to independent school networks for active learning program delivery.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute: Australian medical research institute focused on cardiovascular and metabolic disease research. Direct peer because IPAN co-operates the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes and shares overlapping research domains in chronic disease prevention, nutrition, and exercise science.
• Telethon Kids Institute: Children's health research institute in Perth. Comparable because of overlapping child development, nutrition, and physical activity research, similar NHMRC funding model, and community program translation approach.
• Charles Perkins Centre (University of Sydney): University of Sydney research centre studying obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease through multidisciplinary research. Direct peer because both are university-embedded institutes with similar nutrition, exercise, and chronic disease research portfolios and translation goals.
• South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI): Independent health and medical research institute in Adelaide focused on chronic disease, nutrition, and Aboriginal health. Comparable as a major Australian research institute pursuing translational research in lifestyle-related disease prevention.
• Murdoch Children's Research Institute: Australia's largest child health research institute. Comparable given IPAN's significant child-focused research portfolio (INFANT, TransformUs, MNG), shared focus on developmental and preventive health, and similar university/hospital affiliation model.
• Menzies Institute for Medical Research: University of Tasmania-affiliated medical research institute conducting population health and chronic disease research. Comparable because both operate as university-based multidisciplinary research institutes translating evidence into public health outcomes and policy.
• The George Institute for Global Health: Independent global medical research institute focused on non-communicable diseases and injury prevention. Comparable in scale, mission, and evidence-to-policy translation model targeting chronic disease populations similar to IPAN's programs.

Others

• National Heart Foundation of Australia: Non-profit funder and research commissioner in cardiovascular disease prevention. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that funds and translates physical activity/nutrition research, and a current IPAN partner (National Heart Foundation co-funds IPAN research with NHMRC).
• VicHealth (Victorian Health Promotion Foundation): Statutory health promotion agency funding physical activity and nutrition programs in Victoria. Comparable because it co-funds and disseminates IPAN's flagship programs (INFANT, TransformUs), serving as both a funder and implementation partner in IPAN's GTM motion.

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO (Health & Biosecurity): Australia's national science agency with a broad health and biosecurity portfolio. Comparable at a higher level because CSIRO conducts applied nutrition, population health, and digital health research across multiple domains, though not specialised to IPAN's niche.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ipandeakin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxVxVQqL3JjL2zS1r0xVvDQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipan-deakin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University