Our research into hearing loss and tinnitus

Alice Zanella, a PhD student funded by RNID. Alice sits at a microscope and smiles at the camera.

We are the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding hearing research. Since 2000, we have funded over £28 million of research and supported 443 ground-breaking projects around the world – and we’re not done yet.

Find out what we’ve achieved in the last 25 years (PDF, 2.8MB).

What we’re funding now

Explore our three areas of research focus: restoring hearing, silencing tinnitus, and preventing hearing loss.

Are you seeking funding opportunities for your research? Apply for funding now.

Restoring hearing

We are finding ways to restore hearing and to improve medical devices to help people hear better.

Illustration of a woman wearing glasses with sound icons next to their ears indicating that their hearing is disturbed.

Silencing tinnitus

We are identifying the causes of tinnitus and finding ways to treat it effectively.

Preventing hearing loss

We are identifying the causes of hearing loss and improving our understanding of it to protect people’s hearing.

About our research

We’re working towards a future where treatments and cures for hearing loss and tinnitus exist for those who want them. This is how we’re making that happen.

Our research strategy

Our strategy outlines the approach we’re taking to speed up the discovery and development of treatments and cures for hearing loss and tinnitus.

An illustration of an audiologist wearing a white coat. She holds a clipboard and an ear instrument.

Meet our scientists

Get to know the dedicated researchers and PhD students we’re supporting and why they’ve chosen to work in hearing and tinnitus research.

Keep up with the latest research

Stay up to date with developments in the field by signing up to our monthly charity newsletter or keeping an eye on hearing research clinical trials happening around the world.

“At home I can have my kids on either side of me when we are having a conversation or watching TV. When we are in the car, I can hear whoever is in the passenger seat or back, which is huge because I’ve never been able to do that before.”

Shakib, hearing aid user. Read Shakib’s story.

A close up image of a man with a beard smiling

Sue Strachan, RNID Supporter and ARUK Ambassador, leaning on a fence in the countryside and smiling

Support life-changing research

Change the lives of people with hearing loss or tinnitus and help create a world where treatments and cures exist for those who want them.

Donate to hearing research

For researchers

We support established researchers and those at the beginning of their careers.

Through Fellowships for post-PhD researchers, PhD studentships and summer placements as part of In2scienceUK’s In2research scheme, we’re fighting the barriers that can bar entry into hearing research.

Working with my host was wonderful as he was always open to answering my questions and ensuring I understood the research. Through this experience, I not only gained vital practical skills, but also an understanding of the day-to-day working life of a researcher.”

Nuura Ahmed, In2scienceUK RNID funding awardee.

Through our Discovery Research Grants and Translational Research Grants, we support research to underpin and drive forward the development of new treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus. And our Innovation Seed Fund supports brand new ideas that need funding to get started.

Apply for research funding

Discover opportunities to apply for grants and funding from RNID.

Join our Hearing Therapeutics Initiative

Our Initiative helps promising discoveries move from the laboratory into clinical trials. Join us today.