Who we are and what we do
The Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Tackling the big questions in biomedical research is no longer the domain of individual disciplines
We are one of the largest and highest-quality biomedical research institutes in Australia. With more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams, we work with national and international collaborators on global health priorities.
Watch our video to learn who we are and what we do in two minutes.
We pursue excellence in discovery research within and across six global health priority areas, with our experts from different fields working together in collaborative multi- and cross-disciplinary teams. This approach ensures each scientific problem can be examined from a range of perspectives and each research program benefits from a diversity of expertise. This approach could help to answer cutting-edge research questions such as: the impact of immunity on cancer, how diabetes leads to cardiovascular problems, and the role metabolic interventions can play in killing cancer cells.
Our experts collaborate within and across six global health priority areas in multi- and cross-disciplinary teams
Research that finds solutions to complex global biomedical challenges requires scale. We bring together more than 700 of Australia’s most creative and innovative minds, with expertise spanning a range of biomedical and related research areas.
But we also know there are huge benefits to focusing early on the possible applications of our discoveries. Collaborating with both clinicians and industry partners means our discoveries can be translated, ensuring our research has real impact. Bringing clinical expertise as well as patient cohorts and samples within reach of BDI scientists accelerates the translation of our early stage research. The process values discovery science but also helps us to understand what clinicians need to fight disease.
Discovery to impact: the wider context
The Discovery Precinct and the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute have close ties with many health precincts and industry partners including the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering, the Monash Health Translational Precinct, the Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct and Monash Partners.Monash Partners' Academic Health Science Centre has also been recognised as one of only four Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres in Australia. These linkages enhance our capability to improve health outcomes through high impact translational research.
We have a great story to tell industry, a growing pipeline of research discoveries, and the right people and platforms for collaboration.
Our discoveries are accelerated by our open access to unparalleled, world-leading research infrastructure. Monash University has invested significantly in high-quality research infrastructure and expertise to establish our Research Platforms. The platform network brings together leading researchers from different fields to engage with local, national, and global, academic and commercial research sectors. Coupled with certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), these platforms are a game-changer for academic and industry collaboration.
Melbourne is one of the great biomedical research hubs in the world. Home to two leading universities, Monash University and the University of Melbourne, as well as a host of outstanding Institutes, the opportunities in research are amongst the best in the world. Increasingly collaborative and supported by the State and Federal Governments, the city of Melbourne is an exciting powerhouse of biomedical innovation.
Research has no borders and requires an international outlook to be competitive with the best in the world. We encourage strong international networks and partnerships in research and research training and our scientists have more than 200 productive international collaborations, resulting in more than 2200 publications with researchers in 84 countries. Our collaborators include Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, Institut Pasteur, Universitat Heidelberg, University of Tokyo, RIKEN Institutes, Japan, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore to name a few.
Based at Monash University in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, the Monash BDI is part of the three-institute Discovery Precinct, alongside the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI)and the Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences (MICCN). The precinct is supported by fabulous research infrastructure and talented staff - a combination that makes innovative discoveries possible.