EXC 2177:  Hearing4all.connects: Innovating Hearing Health Technology from Ear to Brain to Society

• Subject Area: Systems Engineering ; Electrical Engineering and Information Technology ; Mechanics and Constructive Mechanical Engineering ; Medicine ; Neurosciences ; Psychology
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390895286

Hearing loss, the most common sensory disease, impacts communication, cognition, brain health, social participation, and well-being. As a leading consortium with unmatched interdisciplinary expertise in hearing research, we uncovered the effects of hearing loss on brain and cognition during previous funding phases and developed pioneering biomedical and engineering solutions for personalized hearing care. Although we have substantially advanced hearing loss treatment, we are still far from fully restoring the richness of natural hearing. This is due to a lack of insights into the links between molecular and auditory profiles necessary for causal therapies, and a scarcity of truly transformative technological approaches for rehabilitative treatment of hearing loss. However, with recent developments in genetics, data science, AI and health technologies, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to address these limitations. First, to pave the way toward causal therapies, we will unravel the relationship between molecular patterns of hearing loss and clinical auditory profiles across the life course. Second, to significantly enhance the performance of hearing devices, we will harness the power of generative AI to develop novel sound processing algorithms and implement protective and neuromodulatory interventions as pioneering treatment options. Third, to uncover the multifactorial patterns of hearing disorders, we will introduce a novel combination of knowledge- and data-driven approaches and pioneer the establishment of an Open Data Space for Audiology. This pivotal approach will enable precise disease characterization, prediction of progression and highly tailored treatments making audiology a model for data harmonization and integration. Fourth, to prevent adverse effects on cognition and brain health, we will use our unique expertise in ear-level sensing to transform hearing devices into comprehensive hearing health systems that monitor vital signals and provide real-time feedback for early intervention. Fifth, to objectively and validly assess speech understanding, social interaction, and brain health, which constitute blind spots in current-day hearing care, we will translate our experimental approaches into real-world scenarios. With this ambitious research agenda, we will initiate a new era in hearing health research, leveraging the long-term alliance of three universities and partnerships with all leading hearing device manufacturers. Our ecosystem attracts and advances early career researchers at the interface between science, industry, and society with a focus on internationalization, inclusiveness, and early independence. Hearing4all.connects will serve as a global hub of excellence in hearing research and a catalyst for data, hardware, and software sharing in audiology, facilitating the global use of innovations. As a key connector, we envision an international meta-cluster of excellence to combat the global challenge of hearing loss.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
• Co-Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover; Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
• Participating Institution: Fraunhofer-Institut für Digitale Medientechnologie (IDMT); Hörzentrum Oldenburg gGmbH; Jade Hochschule; Wilhelmshaven/Oldenburg/Elsfleth; Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Blume; Professor Dr. Andrej Kral; Professorin Dr. Christiane M. Thiel
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Jörg Albert; Professorin Dr. Cornelia Blume; Professor Dr. Andreas Büchner; Professorin Dr. Hildegard Büning; Professor Dr. Stefan Debener; Professor Dr. Mathias Dietz; Professor Dr. Simon Doclo; Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Hein; Professor Dr. Alexander Heisterkamp; Professor Dr. Christoph Herrmann; Professorin Dr. Andrea Hildebrandt; Professor Dr. Volker Hohmann; Professorin Dr. Angelika Illg; Professor Dr. Jörg Lücke; Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Marschollek; Professor Dr. Bernd T. Meyer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Waldo Nogueira; Professorin Dr. Esther Ruigendijk; Dr. Rolf Benedikt Salcher; Professorin Kerstin Schwabe, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Athanasia Warnecke; Professorin Dr. Antje Wulff