Objective
An estimated 360 million people worldwide are living with disabling hearing impairment. This number is rising mainly due to a growing global population and longer life expectancies and increasing noise exposure. Unaddressed hearing loss poses an annual global cost of 750 billion international dollars. Interventions to prevent, identify and compensate or cure hearing loss are cost-effective and can bring great benefit to individuals.
Currently available auditory prostheses based on mechanical or electrical energy are not sufficiently supplying the hearing impaired population. The main reasons are insufficient frequency specificity, feedback and discomfort due to occlusion effect and/or recurrent auditory canal inflammations. Light is a form of energy that can be very well focused, can be applied without the need of direct contact and may be the alternative energy for the stimulation of the hearing organ.
With our LaserHearingAids Starting Grant we have developed a novel activation strategy of each individual frequency of the hearing spectrum using monochrome laser pulses. It has the advantage of a non-contact, very precise energy transfer in vibratory structures and shall be used to improve hearing and further auditory pathologies.
In preparation for the prototype of the optoacoustic auditory prostheses we will continue testing the market, build up the started cooperation with industry partners and ask for ethical approvals for the first clinical studies. In parallel we will work on to coding speech and more complex sounds like e.g. music using the optoacoustic vibrations and improve loudness modulation within the biocompatibility margins.
Our laser based coding strategy will revolutionize the auditory prostheses by replacing the speaker or the sound transducer with laser pulses. This new technique will improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the financial burden on the society due to work disability caused through these sensory deficits.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2017-PoC
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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.
66123 Saarbrucken
Germany
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.