Experts from all over the world visit Oldenburg's The Haus des Hörens

Hearing aid developers from all over the world met for the third time in the last week of June at The Haus des Hörens in Oldenburg. After 2003 and 2005, the renowned HörTech Center of Competence for hearing aid system technology once again invited industry experts to a two-day, cross-manufacturer exchange of experience. 75 participants, including representatives from all well-known hearing aid manufacturers, discussed the latest developments and trends in hearing aid technology at the "Third International Developer Forum". "Our developer forums offer scientists and, in particular, industry representatives the rare opportunity to reach an understanding in which the economic interests of individual competitors take a back seat for once," explains Prof Birger Kollmeier, initiator of the meeting.

- Whether Siemens, Oticon or Phonak, whether GN ReSound, Widex or Starkey - all the major suppliers in the hearing aid industry once again accepted the invitation from the HörTech Center of Competence. In 2007, Oldenburg once again offered participants in the forum a unique, open platform where they could discuss basic hearing aid technology topics from the user's perspective. This unique meeting was made possible solely by the neutrality of the HörTech research organisation at the University of Oldenburg. HörTech gGmbH, the operating company of the Centre of Competence, is a non-profit and therefore independent company. It has long proven itself as the organiser and moderator of the forum. At the end of the meeting, participants and organisers were once again extremely satisfied. "Obviously, we have succeeded in establishing our forum as a central, continuous communication platform for the hearing aid industry," summarised Kollmeier.