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54 EINBLICKE
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health-conscious.So by the time they start it‘s often too late and
they can no longer learn to adjust properly to the "loud world"
their hearingdevice relays to them.This iswhy it‘s so important to
intervene as soon
as possible. Every
telephone, televi-
sion,stereosystem
and room should
have the potential to present acoustic information in a way that
caters to people with hearing impairment.When we get to the
point where a hearing device is automatically integrated into
every iPod – then we will have achieved our goal.
EINBLICKE: And to what extent must the hearing device be
programmed in a particular way?
KOLLMEIER: Here in Oldenburgwe have developed the so-cal-
ledMaster HearingAid.This is a sort of Linux for hearingdevices.
It enables researchers to implement the desiredhearingdevice
functions with standard hardware and operating systems, so
that a reality test can be performed immediately. So this is a
modular systemwithhugepotential. We cooperate closelywith
the researchers at the Leibniz University Hanover,who are very
good at miniaturising such systems and integrating massive
parallel processing capacities in a single chip.This will eventu-
ally mean that the software we have developed can run on a
prototype system that is as small and compact as possible. In
thiswayweproduceportabledevices that arepowerful enough
to implement our concepts of a model-based hearing system.
In the Cluster, the whole project is very oriented towards basic
research. It‘s not about developing a commercial device here
but about interdisciplinary research-based algorithms that are
"We want more connections
across basic research, applications
and industry."
influenced by concepts from the fields of biology, psychology
andphysics.We are looking for basic scientific and technological
solutions for "the problem of hearing impairment".
EINBLICKE: Is the projectedCluster also intended to offer young
scientists career perspectives?
KOLLMEIER: Absolutely. To this end we are planning the Joint
Research Academy, whichwill incorporate all the different dis-
ciplines and universities involved in the project.We integrate
the training of young scientists,and by that we don‘t just mean
the classic preparation for obtaining a doctorate but also for
the phase between obtaining a doctorate and qualifying for
a professorship. The Oldenburg Centre for Hearing Research
is already well known for offering graduates excellent career
opportunities in both the academic world and industry. One
of our graduates is the head of development at a leading
global company; others are professors who are international
authorities in their field.We want to continue promoting this
and building on it together with our colleagues fromHanover.
EINBLICKE: Where do you see the opportunities for the pro-
jected cluster?
KOLLMEIER: In addition to the research contents there is also an
important structural component.The Cluster forms the scientific
backbone for theAuditoryValley - everythingcanbe foundunder
the same common roof here.Wewant more connections across
basicresearch, applicationsandindustry.Inthisareawehavealrea-
dybeen successful here atOldenburg,primarilywithhearingde-
vices andaudio technology.TheCluster provides theopportunity
to consolidate our globally unique research profile and enhance
our visibility on an international level. Matthias Echterhagen