Who funds hearing loss research?

We count 52 funded hearing loss projects, active between 2021 and 2031, from 5 funders. The most came from EU · ERC (20 projects), EU · MSCA (9 projects) and Wellcome (8 projects). The median award is $2.1M, across the 50 of 52 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

52

Funders

5

Median award

$2.1M

Open calls now

4

Top funders of hearing loss research

Projects whose title or summary mentions hearing loss. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open hearing loss funding calls

4 open calls mention hearing loss today.

• NIDCD Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18 Clinical Trial Required)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: May 7, 2027 ·
• NIDCD Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: May 7, 2027 ·
• Early-Stage Dissemination and Implementation Research in Communication Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: June 17, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 9 funded (11% · NIH R21 (exploratory/developmental), all NIH institutes, FY2025)
• NIDCD Early Career Research(ECR) Award (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: October 15, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 9 funded (11% · NIH R21 (exploratory/developmental), all NIH institutes, FY2025)

Real odds

• About 1 in 9 funded · 11% · NIH R21 (exploratory/developmental), all NIH institutes, FY2025 · NIH Data Book, report 202

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Funded hearing loss projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Understanding and improving neural tracking of audiovisual speech in adults with cochlear implants: the principle of cooperation and competition between modalities
  Wellcome · £667,867 · ends 2031
• Uncovering how central cognitive pathways interact with hearing loss
  Wellcome · £1,072,966 · ends 2031
• How does the brain map sounds into the world?
  Wellcome · £5,204,139 · ends 2031
• Collaborative Research: CRCNS Research Proposal: Optimal Transport for Comparative Analysis of Neural Representations
  NSF · SBE · $517,134 · ends 2031
• Transforming Ear and Hearing care in the community: AI-Driven Diagnostics to improve access to care for patients on a global scale
  UKRI · Innovate UK · £1,994,264 · ends 2030
• Cortical Mechanisms of Innate Frequency Discrimination
  NIH · NIDCD · $3,262,585 · ends 2029
• NSF-ANR: Biophysical Underpinnings and Regulation of Hair-Cell Mechanosensitivity in the Inner Ear
  NSF · MPS · $360,001 · ends 2029
• AAV-mediated editing to treat human autosomal dominant hearing loss DFNA41 and DFNA2
  NIH · NCATS · $4,610,714 · ends 2028
• ICF - Restoring the neural code through optimal hearing aids: Toward validated prototypes
  UKRI · MRC · £1,022,216 · ends 2028
• Long-term effects of hearing intervention on brain health in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) randomized study
  NIH · NIA · $3,930,675 · ends 2027

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “hearing”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.