Hearing4all International Symposium 2024 – review
As part of the annual symposium of the Hearing4all Cluster of Excellence, experts in hearing research gathered at Kulturzentrum PFL (formerly Peter Friedrich Ludwigs Hospital) in Oldenburg from November 6 to 7, 2025.
Internationally renowned scientists contributed a wide range of ideas: Prof. Elia Formisano (Maastricht University), Prof. Douglas Hartley (University of Nottingham), Erik Jorgensen, PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Dr. Raphael Koning (Audatic GmbH), Prof. Jennifer F. Linden (University College London), Sunil Puria, PhD (Harvard Medical School), and Prof. Odette Scharenborg (Delft University of Technology).
Scientists from Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg (UOL), Hannover Medical School (MHH), Leibniz University Hannover (LUH), and partner institutions presented the current state of research in the Cluster of Excellence, complemented by input from the Translational Advisory Committee.
The 2025 symposium was characterized by the realignment of the cluster: The “Hearing4all 2.0” funding phase is coming to an end, and the third funding phase, “Hearing4all.connects“, will begin in 2026. During the symposium, the achievements of the current cluster leaders and the successful funding proposal of the future leadership team were honored—including a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Ralph Bruder (President of the University of Oldenburg) and a cluster portrait by Prof. Dr. Christoph Schreiner (University of California).
Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier (Cluster Spokesperson, UOL) and Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Thomas Lenarz (Clinical Spokesperson, MHH) handed over the baton of cluster leadership to Prof. Dr. Christiane Thiel (Spokesperson, UOL), Prof. Dr. Andrej Kral (Deputy Spokesperson, MHH), and Prof. Dr. Holger Blume (Deputy Spokesperson, LUH).
“This year’s symposium marks the transition from the second to the third funding phase of the Cluster of Excellence and celebrates the outstanding performance of our three participating universities in the Excellence Strategy. A unique ecosystem of hearing research has now been established between Oldenburg and Hanover—on this basis, Hearing4all will launch a new research agenda under new leadership in 2026,” said Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, Head of the Division of Medical Physics at University Medicine Oldenburg and Spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence.
The Hearing4all Cluster of Excellence will receive funding for another seven years as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. Under the new guiding theme “Hearing4all.connects”, the research alliance will expand to include additional disciplines, enabling an even more comprehensive investigation of hearing loss.
Last photo: Handover ceremony – the leadership team of “Hearing4all.connects” honors the cluster spokespersons of “Hearing4all 2.0.” (From left to right: Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Thomas Lenarz, MHH; Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, UOL; Prof. Dr. Andrej Kral, MHH; Prof. Dr. Christiane Thiel, UOL; Prof. Dr. Holger Blume, LUH).
Photos: Hearing4all and Markus Hibbeler
