RNID is the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding hearing research. We want there to be a wide range of treatments to prevent hearing loss, improve hearing and silence tinnitus, for those who want them.
We want there to be more researchers working on the discovery and development of treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus, and for there to be a strong pipeline of research leading to new treatments.
Our Research spend
- Since 1999, we have invested nearly £25 million into research to find treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
- On average, every £1 of funding we invest leverages another £6.05 of funding into the field from other funders.
- Only 70p is spent per person affected by hearing loss on ‘ear’ research in the UK – this compares to £14 spent on ‘eye’ research per person affected by sight loss.
Key research achievements
- Thanks to our research showing that clinical eligibility criteria could be relaxed, nearly 900 more people a year are now eligible for cochlear implants in the UK.
- Thanks to our research, there is a new diagnostic test that identifies premature babies who are more susceptible to developing hearing loss when treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics. This allows clinicians to protect their hearing by treating them with a different medicine.
- Thanks to our research, a stem cell treatment to repair the hearing nerve and restore hearing is close to clinical testing in people.
Find out more about our key achievements.
Our Hearing Therapeutics Initiative
- Since 2020, we have used our expertise in hearing loss to help 81 scientists from all over the world with their research into new treatments.
- Since 2020, our Hearing Therapeutics Initiative has created 53 new connections between experts in hearing loss and tinnitus, so they can work together on new treatments.
Read more about our Hearing Therapeutics Initiative (HTI) or sign up to our HTI newsletter below.