The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science will be funding nine application-orientated research projects from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the future - two of them at the University of Oldenburg.
The planned Wilhelmshaven Centre for Marine Sensors (ZfMarS) of the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) will be co-financed with almost 2.5 million euros in the ERDF guideline "Innovations by Universities and Research Institutions". The University of Oldenburg is also in charge of "VIBHear", an "innovation network for integrated, binaural hearing system technology". In addition to the University, the HörTech Center of Competence, the Hörzentrum Oldenburg, Hannover Medical School and Jade University are involved in this joint project. The total funding here amounts to 1.2 million euros.
Sensors as a key technology
Sensors are one of the key technologies of modern marine technology. Researching their fields of application and reliability is the focus of the new interdisciplinary and transfer-orientated ZfMarS. The ICBM works closely with the Jade University of Applied Sciences and regional industry. The scientists are focussing on three areas: In the "Innovation Lab for Reliability and Fouling Prevention", research is being conducted into sensors that monitor offshore technologies even more reliably and efficiently. The "Innovation Lab for Oil, Water, Ice" aims to develop new measurement methods for the technological strengthening of environmentally friendly maritime transport. The aim is to be able to explore, extract and store energy resources in an environmentally safe manner, even under adverse conditions. The "Innovation Laboratory for Marine Surfaces" will focus on testing and measuring methods for aquatic surface processes associated with environmental pollution and climate change. The new centre covers the entire research field of water-sensor interactions - from the marine environment and inland waters to processes in ships or aquaculture facilities.
Innovations for better hearing
Hearing loss is becoming more and more of a problem in an ageing society. Technical hearing aids have been developed considerably over the last ten years. With the ERDF funding that has now been approved, hearing researchers at the University of Oldenburg and their partners are setting up a new joint project. The innovation network aims to achieve a leading international position for manufacturer-independent system solutions for conventional and implantable hearing systems. The aim is to create the conditions for research findings to be increasingly translated into technological solutions - for the benefit of hearing-impaired patients. In addition, traditionally separate technologies of hearing aids and cochlear implants are to be brought together. Building on the research results of the university locations of Oldenburg and Hanover - including in the "Hearing4all" cluster of excellence - a total of five complementary sub-projects are planned.