The World Health Organization recently released significant data according to which approximately 20% of the world’s population suffers from varying degrees of hearing loss, a condition that is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades, affecting over 700 million people by 2050. MED-EL, a leading hearing solutions company, and Microsoft have joined forces to make the most of their respective expertise in the fields of audiology and digital technology. The partnership aims to transform the daily lives of people with hearing loss, offering them new tools to communicate more effectively in an increasingly connected world. The focus of this collaboration is the development and implementation of advanced technologies that facilitate communication, making the digital and physical world more accessible.
There Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, CEO of MED-EL, highlights the importance of this collaboration: “Working with Microsoft allows us to overcome the communication barriers imposed by hearing loss, significantly improving the quality of life of our users. Together, we can create innovative solutions that integrate our hearing implant expertise with Microsoft’s advanced technology capabilities.”
For his part, Hermann Erlach, General Director of Microsoft Austria, expressed enthusiasm for the potential of this synergy: “This collaboration demonstrates how technology can actually create a more accessible world, where everyone can feel included. It is essential for us to help people and companies realize their full potential, and this commitment obviously also extends to the field of hearing accessibility.”
A a tangible example of the impact of this collaboration is the IDEASforEARS event
a competition that invites children with hearing loss to develop innovative ideas to improve daily life of people suffering from this condition. The 14 winners of this edition, including the young Bergamo native Davide Zilli, will have the opportunity to present their inventions in Innsbruck on 18 and 19 Junewhere MED-EL has its headquarters, in an event that will see intense multilingual interaction facilitated by Microsoft technology.