German Future Prize for hearing research team

A great success for hearing research: the German Future Prize has been awarded to the hearing research team led by Oldenburg physicist and physician Prof Dr Dr Birger Kollmeier. Federal President Joachim Gauck presented the prize, which is endowed with 250,000 euros.

Kollmeier received the award together with Prof Dr Volker Hohmann (also University of Oldenburg, Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all") and Dr Torsten Niederdränk (Siemens AG) at a grand gala broadcast by ZDF.

The Federal President awards the German Future Prize annually for outstanding technical, engineering or scientific innovations. It is endowed with 250,000 euros. Kollmeier and his team succeeded in transferring the decisive advantages of binaural hearing to hearing system technology - and thus decisively improving the technology of hearing systems. The development led to a rethink in the world of hearing systems.

"To be at the forefront and help shape the future when it comes to improving people's quality of life: Professor Kollmeier and his team have made unique and outstanding achievements. The University of Oldenburg, where Kollmeier and Hohmann have been teaching and researching for years, is delighted with this great success," said University President Prof. Dr Babette Simon.

"The German Future Prize is a great recognition of our work. It is our central concern to develop products and innovations that benefit people with hearing loss," explained Kollmeier in his words of thanks. The scientist is spokesperson for the "Hearing4all" cluster of excellence, heads the HörTech Center of Competence, the Fraunhofer Project Group for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology and is one of the leading figures in the "Auditory Valley" research and development network.

"Science and industry have worked hand in hand to transfer binaural hearing to hearing system technology," explains Dr Torsten Niederdränk from Siemens AG, which launched the first devices with this technology on the market back in 2004 based on fundamental patents. The fact that the invention of binaural hearing systems is now incorporated into almost all modern devices is primarily due to the good co-operation between science and industry in Auditory Valley.

"It motivates us that our invention is helping so many people today," says Prof Dr Volker Hohmann from the University of Oldenburg, describing the incentive for the joint innovation. Hearing loss is widespread; in the European Union, around 56 million adults between the ages of 18 and 80 have a hearing loss that requires treatment. This means that one in six adults is affected, half of whom are of working age.