The University of Oldenburg is participating in the second round of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments. "Hearing4all" is the name of the proposal for an interdisciplinary research network in the second funding line (cluster of excellence) of the competition, with which the university aims to achieve "hearing for all" through a combination of applied and clinical research. Participants include Hannover Medical School, Leibniz Universität Hannover, the non-university research institutions HörTech Center of Competence, Fraunhofer Project Group for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology, the hearing centres in Hannover and Oldenburg as well as twelve industrial partners.

Oldenburg and Hanover are already among the world's leading centres for medical technology, hearing research, audiology, medical diagnostics and therapy. Around 80 per cent of all hearing aids worldwide contain a piece of know-how from Oldenburg. The largest number of hearing implants in the world was performed in the ENT clinic at Hannover Medical School.