By Dirk De Ridder

I had the unique privilege to accompany Matteo de Nora, the founder of the Tinnitus Research Initiative, our TRI, in accompanying him on a chase boat for some of Emirates Team New Zealand’s races in the America’s Cup. And while I was thrilled by the sailing, or should I rather say flying, of these vessels, I quickly realized that Emirates Team New Zealand was destined to win, and that this was very good news for the tinnitus community, for multiple reasons.

First, a little explanation. The America’s Cup, affectionally known as the Auld Mug, is the oldest international sporting trophy, dating back to 1851. It is the Formula 1 of sailing, held every 3-4 years, and this time in Auckland, New Zealand, because Emirates Team New Zealand won the previous edition in 2017. And, the winner dictates the rules and the design of the boats for the next challenge.

New Zealand is a very beautiful, tiny country, still covid-free, with 5 million people, very remote, more than 4000 km further than Australia (in a Eurocentric vision). It is known for Lord of the Rings, the Rainbow warrior bombing, its popular prime minister, multiculturalism (Maori and Pacific Islanders, European and Asian), gender equality, the kiwi, its stunning landscapes and sports, especially rugby with its famous All Blacks, and…sailing. Pro capita, New Zealand is one of the most successful Olympic medalist winners.

But why is it important that Emirates Team New Zealand won? Well it is for multiple reasons (read more...)

TRI Scientific Research Coordinator Winny Schlee received this year's prestigious tinnitus research award by the German Foundation "Tinnitus and Hearing" of Charité Berlin!

Due to the current special circumstances, the award was presented in a virtual ceremony online, on December 3.

This recognition is connected to a monetary reward, in support of further innovative tinnitus research.

On November 20-22, 2020, the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, USA, invites you to attend the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Brain Imaging and Tinnitus.

Keynote speaker is the world-renowed researcher in the field of auditory neuroscience,

Prof. Jos J. Eggermont, University of Calgary, CA.

The Conference will be a virtual event and everybody is welcome to attend.

Free Registration is necessary to get access to the Zoom links, and recorded lectures, if you are unable to attend when they occur.

Detailed information about the conference, speakers, program and registration can be found at the conference website.

It is planned to make the links of the recorded lectures available for a few weeks after the end of the conference!

TRI is delighted to announce that ESIT, the European School on Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research, a large EU research project on tinnitus with special focus on the training of 15 international PhD candidates in the field, coordinated by PD Dr Winfried Schlee (also TRI Scientific Coordinator), received the International Consortium on Personalised Medicine's (ICPerMed) recognition as a Best Practice Example in Personalised Medicine research and practice.

The application by PD Dr Schlee and their team ("International Tinnitus Research - Novel approaches in Personalised Medicine Research, Teaching and Treatment") has been selected for this award, together with other ground-breaking initiatives in the field. Furthermore, ESIT has been invited to present present their project at the next ICPerMed Conference, planned to take place on February 25 and 26, 2021, in Paris, France.

More information on this prize and ICPerMed can be found here, and by clicking on the below image.

Congratulations to the entire ESIT consortium, and we're looking forward to hearing more about these important endeavours in the emerging field of Personalised Medicine.

For the second time, the Tinnitus & Hearing Foundation of the Charité 2020 is awarding its research prize of EUR 10,000 for outstanding achievements in the field of cause research, early detection and therapy of tinnitus and hearing impairment.

Habilitations as well as top-class published scientific papers of the past two years or presentations of planned research projects can be submitted. Applications are open to applicants from the EU. Applications can be submitted in English and German.

Details on how to apply can be found here - deadline for applications is September 15, 2020!

The winner of the award will be announced during the 22nd Tinnitus Symposium, organized by the Tinnitus Center of the Charité, on December 5th in Berlin. Should the symposium not be able to take place as planned due to the current situation, we will inform you here in time.

The BTA Virtual Conference 2020 – aimed at audiologists, ENTs, GPs, hearing care professionals, psychologists, tinnitus support groups and researchers – takes place online this autumn with attendees getting full access to five days of lectures, workshops, seminars and networking opportunities, including a key note speech from David Baguley, Professor of Hearing Sciences at the University of Nottingham, on ‘Biobanks – what can they tell us about tinnitus?’.

Each day of the conference presents a different theme – including the psychology of tinnitus, practical skills and the latest in tinnitus research – with topics ranging from sleep to brain imaging, and internet-based CBT to the effects of Covid-19.

Tickets cost £100 each and include access to all recorded conference material for 12 months after the event.

When: 5-9 October 2020

For more information please take a look at the conference website 

We are very pleased that, despite the cancellation of the TRI 2020 Tinnitus Conference in Vancouver, CA, our call to publish an abstract book of the conference was accepted by many authors and that we are now able to present abstracts relating to more than 80 research projects on tinnitus.

This abstract book provides an impressive overview about the quality and diversity of the tinnitus research field. And this abstract book is the best proof, that tinnitus research is alive and more active than ever before.

TRI 2020 Abstract Book for Download