About the CRC

Structure

CRC HEAR is established and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program. This program provides the opportunity to form strategic partnerships giving leading researchers, major industry players and small to medium businesses access to significant research funds to commercialise new technologies that provide innovative solutions to industry/business needs through development of new or improved products, processes and services. In the process, Australia achieves a stronger economy through job creation, skills acquisition and access to new markets.

The Centre couples the individual strengths of its core and support parties into multidisciplinary research project teams to achieve its mission and objectives.

Core Parties

CRC HEAR has built on the relationship between Cochlear Limited and The University of Melbourne, which led to the initial development and market success of the Nucleus family of multiple-channel cochlear implants. CRC HEAR links these two organisations together with The Bionic Ear Institute and the National Acoustics Laboratories (Australian Hearing) into a major collaborative research entity, capable of conducting interdisciplinary research across a wide range of cochlear implant and hearing aid technology issues.

Support Parties

CRC HEAR has brought together a powerful network of supporting parties, drawn from specialist university departments, the hearing aid and acoustic industries, clinical service organisations and facilities and early educational and habilitation agencies, each providing specialist technological know-how or clinical expertise to the research program. CRC HEAR also benefits from the involvement of the Audiological Society of Australia, the professional organisation representing over 1200 audiologists in Australia and Asia-Pacific.

CRC HEAR research teams also benefit from the combined infrastructure support of the Centre's 13 Supporting Parties which are spread geographically across a number of Australian states. In particular, the cooperation of our Cochlear Implant Clinics creates a substantial pool of device users to participate in co-ordinated multi-centre clinical trials.

New South Wales-based Parties:

  • The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Adult Cochlear Implant Program, a section of The Central Sydney Area Health Service and a partner of the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (NSW)
  • St Gabriels' School for Hearing-Impaired Children
  • The Shepherd Centre for Deaf Children and Their Parents (NSW)
  • The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (NSW)
  • The University of Sydney, Department of Surgery
  • The University of Wollongong, Intelligent Polymers Research Institute

Victoria-based Parties:

  • The Audiological Society of Australia Inc
  • The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Cochlear Implant Clinic
  • St Mary’s School for Children with Impaired Hearing Inc.
  • Taralye (The Advisory Council for Children with Impaired Hearing (Victoria))
  • Siemens Hearing Instruments

Queensland-based Parties:

  • Griffith University (through the MicroTechnology CRC)
  • The Hear and Say Centre for Deaf Children and Their Parents
  • Queensland Hearing (Cochlear Implant Centre)

HearWorks Pty Ltd

HearWorks Pty Limited is CRC HEAR’s commercial agent, managing all technology transfer and commercial negotiations for the Centre’s research and educational programs.

HearWorks P/L has become increasingly active, as the commercial activities of the Centre have expanded into direct sales, licensing of intellectual property, and research contracts and consulting.

In addition, CRC HEAR has spun-off two companies, Dynamic Hearing Pty Limited and Microphones Pty Limited to commercialise specific CRC research outcomes.

 
 


  Date Created: Thursday February 19 2004
  Last Updated:  Tuesday July 29 2008
  Authorised By: Robert Cowan
  Maintainer: Webmaster, The Bionic Ear Institute
  Email: webmaster@bionicear.org
  Copyright © The Bionic Ear Institute