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Competition summary: detect and treat hearing loss and tinnitus

Updated 3 February 2016

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1. Summary

The health and wellbeing of armed forces personnel throughout their career is very important. It allows the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to operate effectively.

One area of particular concern is the potential for hearing loss and tinnitus; specifically, noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.

Many employees in the UK and worldwide are exposed to potentially harmful noise levels at work, but in military service it’s loud, impulsive noise that’s a specific occupational hazard.

Effects can be short term or chronic, resulting in permanent hearing loss and debilitating tinnitus. It can have adverse consequences for the individual’s operational service and, in some instances, can be life changing.

For MOD, there are significant consequences associated with safety, communications and degradation of operational forces.

MOD has a duty of care to prevent injury by using protective measures; but also needs to maintain operational effectiveness when injury does occur by diagnosing and treating as early and as effectively as possible.

This Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) themed competition has 2 challenges:

  1. Monitor and diagnose: we’re looking for proof-of-concept research proposals to develop technologies to identify those at risk of injury to hearing, diagnose hearing loss early, and objectively measure tinnitus.
  2. Treat and restore: we’re looking for proof-of-concept research proposals to development interventions to stop hearing deterioration and/or restore hearing.

2. Total funding

Up to £500,000 is available for phase 1 of this competition. We expect to fund a number of projects around £40,000 to £80,000 lasting around 3 to 6 months in duration, with deliverables completed by 31 December 2016.

Up to £500,000 will be made available for phase 2. Funding will be considered on a per-project basis.

3. Competition close

This competition closes on Thursday 21 April 2016 at 5pm. Proposals must be submitted to CDE online.

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