Welcome to the Burnet Institute
The Burnet Institute is one of the leading medical research and public health Institutes in Australia. More than 240 scientists and public health professionals are based at our laboratory facilities and headquarters in Melbourne and 135 health professionals are located in 11 dedicated Burnet offices in seven countries across Asia, the Pacific and Africa.
The Institute links laboratory research and public health with the aim of reducing the impact of serious infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis (TB) avian influenza; cancers such as breast, ovarian and prostate; and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The Burnet Institute was established in 1986 to focus on reducing the impact of infectious diseases. It has grown from a small group of dedicated visionaries, to an internationally recognised medical research and public health Institute. In 2006 Burnet merged with the Austin Research Institute, renowned for its success in the development of immune-based treatments for disease.
Burnet has four “Centres of Excellence”; Virology, Immunology, Population Health and International Health. The Centres represent Burnet’s key areas of research and public health strength, and are led by the Institute’s most experienced and highly credentialled scientists.
The Institute runs public health programs within established partnerships, and collaborations with local, regional and national governments, international development and non-government organisations (NGOs), and other medical research and public health groups.
The Institute continues to provide globally competitive research by utilising its innovative skills in laboratory-based biomedical research and public health, in order to produce practical health outcomes. By developing better rapid tests to identify new infections; new vaccines for the prevention and treatment of diseases; as well as using our expertise in public health to implement relevant health policies, education programs and training in order to build capacity, while collaborating with both local and international organisations.
The Burnet Institute is affiliated with Monash University, the University of Melbourne, The Alfred hospital, and is a founding member of the Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP). The Burnet’s Centre for International Health provides education programs that include graduate diplomas, Masters of Public Health (International stream), numerous short courses and workshops both in Australia and across the globe.
