Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, hearing researcher at the University of Oldenburg, was awarded the Lower Saxony Science Prize in the category "Outstanding Scientist at Universities" by Science Minister Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka on 28 September 2011. The prize is endowed with 25,000 euros and goes to Oldenburg for the first time in this category.

"Birger Kollmeier is an internationally recognised scientist who has significantly shaped the research and study focus of medical physics and audiology in Oldenburg," explained University President Prof. Dr Babette Simon at the award ceremony. The jury for the Lower Saxony Science Prize 2011 honoured Kollmeier's "excellent achievements as a scientist and his services to Oldenburg as a research location" with the award. His contributions to co-operation with other universities, as well as his co-operation with non-university research institutions and commercial enterprises, are exemplary. Kollmeier's name is firmly associated with hearing research at the University of Oldenburg and in Lower Saxony. He is recognised nationally and internationally as an outstanding scientist. Thanks to his initiatives, hearing research in Oldenburg is now one of the leading groups in the research landscape. Kollmeier is the spokesperson for the "Hearing4all" cluster, which has submitted a full proposal for the second phase of the Excellence Initiative of the federal and state governments. The establishment of the HörTech Center of Competence and the founding of The Haus des Hörens is due to Prof. Kollmeier's initiative and commitment. As part of the Bologna Process, he co-initiated and co-developed the Bachelor's/Master's degree programme in medicine for the European Medical School (EMS) in co-operation with the School of Medicine at the Rijksuniversität Groningen (Netherlands). Kollmeier's areas of work include neurosensorics, speech perception, modelling of the auditory process and auditory sound, automatic speech recognition and signal processing for hearing aids.