Starkey invests in research to double UK sales

STOCKPORT-based hearing aid manufacturer Starkey Laboratories has invested £200,000 in research to prove that two hearing aids are better than one.

The company has given a £200,000, three year research grant to Manchester University’s Audiology and Deafness Research Group.

Researchers at Manchester University will be measuring the benefits of fitting two hearing instruments by looking at how it can aid concentration and focus people’s attention on specific sounds.

The researchers aim to identify the beneficial changes that occur in the brain of adult hearing aid users. 

In the US more than 80% of people are already fitted with aids in both ears but, according to Starkey, this figure is much lower in the UK and Europe.

Roger Lewin, managing director of Starkey Laboratories UK, said: “This research is key to improving the lives of people with hearing impairments. If this research finds that there is a substantial benefit to fitting two hearing instruments as opposed to one, we can use that evidence to help improve the products and advice that we give to our dispensers, and in turn, the quality of hearing for our patients.

“The research team at Manchester University are really leading the way in auditory research, and so it was only natural to award this funding to them.”

Dr Kevin Munro, who is leading the research at Manchester University, said: “This funding and collaboration with Starkey is an excellent opportunity for us to answer some extremely important research questions that will benefit hearing-impaired people throughout the world. ”