Starkey Laboratories, Inc., one of world's leading hearing technology companies, has awarded a £200,000 research grant over three years to the Audiology and Deafness Research Group at Manchester University through Starkey UK. The research will look at the benefits of bilateral amplification, or fitting hearing instruments in both ears.
Currently, over 80 percent of people in the U.S. are fit bilaterally, but the number is much lower in the UK and Europe. Practicing audiologists in greater Manchester will help test the patient benefit of the research, which will look at how bilateral fitting can aid concentration and help people focus on specific sounds.
"This research is key to improving the lives of people with hearing impairments," said Roger Lewin, Managing Director of Starkey UK. "If this research finds that there is a substantial benefit to fitting two hearing instruments as opposed to one, we can use that evidence to help improve the products and advice that we give to our dispensers, and in turn, the quality of hearing for our patients. The research team at Manchester University is really leading the way in auditory research, so it is natural to award this funding to them."
About the Audiology and Deafness Research Group at Manchester University
In 2008, Deafness Research UK designated the group as a Centre of Excellence for research that leads to benefit for people with hearing impairment. The Manchester team is funded by the Department of Health, UK research councils, industrial partners and charities, as well as receiving support from manufacturers.
