Our strategy outlines the approach we’re taking to speed up the discovery and development of effective treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
It highlights our focus on four strategic priorities, acknowledging that a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of hearing loss and tinnitus is needed for the field to be able to develop better diagnosis, prevention and treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
It also describes how we’ll support the hearing research community as they work to develop treatments.
Download our research strategy (PDF 5MB)
Input from people with hearing loss and tinnitus
We conducted a survey to help us understand what people with hearing loss and tinnitus think about existing treatments and management strategies, and what they would like to see from new treatments.
This feedback has helped us to develop our Research Strategy 2026-2031, ensuring that it is addressing the needs of people with hearing loss and tinnitus.
Download our survey results (PDF 420KB)
Our research priorities
We fund research to understand what causes hearing loss and tinnitus, so scientists can develop better ways to diagnose, prevent and treat them.
We will therefore support research to understand the basic mechanisms of hearing loss and tinnitus that could:
- be targeted to reduce tinnitus, prevent loss of hearing or restore auditory function
- lay the foundations for new diagnostic methods
- improve understanding of the link between hearing loss and dementia.
Mechanisms covered under this priority include, but are not limited to, biological, neurological, genetic, or psychoacoustic mechanisms.
We fund research to develop better diagnostic tests, so people can get clearer answers about their hearing loss or tinnitus, and researchers can target treatments more accurately.
We will therefore support research to develop:
- precision diagnostics and biomarkers able to identify the underlying cause of an individual’s hearing loss or tinnitus, which will help stratify people into clinical studies and test whether a treatment is having the desired effect
- sensitive molecular, physiological or behavioural diagnostic tests able to detect early signs of hearing loss. This is particularly important for people undergoing medical treatments that may cause hearing loss (e.g. cisplatin chemotherapy)
- tests able to predict the risk of developing hearing loss or tinnitus and likely progression to guide personalised treatment.
We fund research to find ways to protect hearing and prevent hearing loss and tinnitus from developing or worsening.
We will therefore support research to discover and develop treatments to:
- prevent or delay the onset of acquired hearing loss or tinnitus
- stop or slow the progression of hearing loss or tinnitus.
We fund research to develop treatments that could improve hearing, restore hearing where possible, and reduce the impact of tinnitus.
We will therefore support research that will:
- lead to transformative improvements to the quality of hearing gained from medical devices
- advance the discovery, development and testing of drug, genetic or cell-based therapies to restore function to any part of the auditory system to improve hearing
- advance interventions to reduce the loudness of tinnitus
- develop methods to improve approaches to; a) delivering therapeutics to the inner ear, b) predicting and measuring the levels of therapeutics in the cochlea and c) evaluating therapeutics in clinical trials
- advance in silico, in vitro and in vivo models to support the discovery and development of new treatments.
Our approach
We will create the environment hearing researchers need to develop a range of treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
To do this, we will:
- fund pioneering research that will lead to the development of new treatments
- support early-career hearing researchers through PhD studentships and Fellowships
- build networks across the hearing research ecosystem
- connect researchers with people who have hearing loss or tinnitus to ensure their needs are considered
Read the strategy
Explore in more detail how we support the field of hearing research and our future hearing research leaders.
Our position on the use of animals in research
We’re dedicated to supporting biomedical research into treatments and cures for hearing loss and tinnitus. Much of this research is carried out without using animals but, in certain areas, animal research remains essential if we are to understand hearing loss and tinnitus and develop new and effective treatments.
Research involving animals only takes place where there is no alternative available. We’re a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and we support the AMRC principles of using animals in research.