Bionic Easr Institute General Appeal

Philanthropic contributions play a vital role in funding the Bionic Ear Institute's medical bionics research.

The Bionic Ear was a huge breakthrough. Today more than 150,000 people worldwide can hear thanks to this remarkable achievement. In 30 years of research on the Bionic Ear we have learnt a huge amount. Our vision for the future is to make a new generation of medical bionic devices a reality.

Our research activities are in four main areas:

1. work with cochlear implants to improve speech processing, musical appreciation and drug delivery in the inner ear
2. developing a Bionic Eye in collaboration with our research partners
3. targeted drug delivery systems and
4. brain implants for a range of illnesses such as epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease and spinal cord injury.

We have made early inroads into devices like the Bionic Eye, intelligent implants to control epileptic seizures and technology to encourage nerve regeneration in spinal cord injuries. Of course refining the Bionic Ear to achieve near normal hearing remains an important part of our work and research into creating a high fidelity Bionic Ear.

A Brief History of the Institute:

The Bionic Ear Institute is home to some of Australia's finest scientists and research staff. It was established in 1986, and is an independent, not-for-profit, medical research organisation.

The Institute's founder, Professor Graeme Clark AC gained international recognition by leading the team that pioneered research into the electrical stimulation of the auditory nervous system. This ultimately led to the development of the prototype Bionic Ear (cochlear implant) at the Department of Otolaryngology in The University of Melbourne in the late 1970s - a first for Australia.

This discovery has had a life-changing effect on the lives of many people who were once profoundly deaf. The research was extended in the 1980's making it safe to implant the Bionic Ear in children who were born deaf. The first child was implanted in 1985 and now the Australian Bionic Ear has been implanted in over 150,000 in more than 70 countries.

Today, children as young as 6 months are having double cochlear implants in the one surgery, allowing every opportunity to develop near normal speech.

• Give a one-off donation online
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• Donate by phone
To donate by phone, call 03 9667 7500. Please have your credit card details on hand when you call.
• Donate by mail
To donate by mail, please download a printable donation form and send through the post to:
384-388 Albert Street
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002
• Donate by fax
To donate by fax, please download a printable donation form and fax to 03 9667 7518.
• Leave a bequest
To leave a bequest in your will, please read the wills and bequests page for Bionic Ear Institute.