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High-resolution auditory restoration by a brain implant operated with a bio-mimetic deep encoder

Objective

Hearing loss is a leading cause of disease burden. While the cochlear implant has emerged in the last decades as a major improvement for severe forms of deafness, this medical device still suffers from the lack of resolution which degrades the quality of restored hearing and from contraindications in a significant number of patients. To circumvent these issues, pioneering projects envision the use of auditory cortex implants placed on the last stage of the auditory system in the central brain, as they offer more interaction surface and address a highly plastic network. However, compared to cochlear implants, these new medical devices require novel encoding algorithms adapted to the neuronal code for sounds in the auditory cortex at a high level in the brain. To achieve this, the Braincoder project proposes to leverage recent results made in the context of the ERC CoG Deepen project which characterised essential transformations of the auditory information from the cochlea to the cortex and established that they could be reproduced with deep neural networks. Following these results we have implemented a network which solves the difficult problem of finding the mathematical transformations that compress information about arbitrary sounds onto the stimulator array of the implant, while respecting the key rules of sound encoding in the target brain region. The network architecture chosen allows estimating precisely the information loss in the compression process and to benchmark cortical implant performance against cochlear implants. This technology, along with auditory rehabilitation using a high density cortical stimulation system, has been the subject of a recent patent filing. The goal of the Braincoder project is to consolidate this patent filing and implement these benchmarks to transform this research breakthrough into a robust software demonstrator as well as to establish the business plan to fully exploit our innovations via the creation of a startup company.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC

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Host institution

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 150 000,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

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