The Bionics Institute’s mission is to research, innovate and deliver technologies that improve human health.

We are a world-leading centre of medical bionics research and translation, focussed particularly on implantable medical devices. The institute has a rich history of excellence in hearing research having been founded by Professor Graeme Clark AC, inventor of the cochlear implant, in 1986.

Today, the Bionics Institute continues to pioneer new technologies to address otherwise untreatable, poorly treated or drug-resistant medical conditions.  We conduct research to create, design, evaluate, and improve electronic devices that interface with the human body to restore impaired sensory or other nervous system and bodily functions. In parallel, we develop novel clinical tools to objectively assess treatment effectiveness and improve clinical management of a wide range of debilitating health conditions. This work is underpinned by fundamental research aimed at understanding the nervous system’s response to electrical stimulation.

Our bionic technologies aim to address the symptoms and impacts of living with hearing loss, vision loss, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. These research programs rely on a truly multi-disciplinary approach: we bring together scientists from a wide range of disciplines, biomedical, software and electronic engineers, and eminent clinicians from Melbourne’s major hospitals to ensure that our work results in tangible and clinically-relevant outcomes.