RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

Remarkable progress has been made towards understanding the causes of hearing loss, which in turn raises the possibility of innovative and exciting new treatments to restore and protect hearing. Until we are able to restore natural hearing, devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants are the best way to improve hearing. As well as working towards treatments for hearing loss, our research programme has been tackling tinnitus and its effects.

Areas of research

Read about the different research projects we have funded to drive forward hearing research:

  • Understanding and preventing hearing loss
    Understanding why hearing loss occurs is crucial to trying to prevent and treat it. Read about the cutting-edge research being conducted to understand how our ears work, what happens when they do not and how we can prevent hearing loss.
  • Improving hearing
    Until we can prevent hearing loss and restore hearing, devices will remain the best way to improve hearing. Read about our high-impact research to improve hearing aids, cochlear implants and brain stem implants.
  • Restoring hearing
    Research aimed at restoration of neurons and sensory hair cells may one day offer the exciting opportunity to restore hearing. Read about the forward-looking research we have funded in this area.
  • Tinnitus
    Research is beginning to find the biological causes of tinnitus and this knowledge will help to develop effective treatments. Read about our innovative projects that are working towards treatments.

Investing in people

Progress cannot be made without the people working in the field:

  • PhD studentships
    By encouraging the brightest new students to enter research into hearing, deafness and tinnitus, we are steadily increasing the number of dedicated UK hearing researchers working in the UK. Read about the interesting projects our PhD students are working on at the moment or have already successfully completed.
  • Meet the scientists
    We fund a wide range of scientists, from leading researchers in the field to PhD students just embarking on their career in hearing research. Discover what motivates each of them, what they see as the next big steps in hearing research and why they have decided to dedicate their careers to improving the lives of people who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have tinnitus.

How you can help

We would like to thank the generosity of all our supporters who have made this research possible. We want to continue building on our achievements and ensure that scientific discoveries lead to medicines and therapies to improve hearing and cure tinnitus. This will only happen with the continued help of our supporters, a greater involvement of the pharmaceutical industry, and a marked increase in funding going into hearing research. Find out ways you can help.