MED-EL 2.26

MED-EL is a global technology company that researches in the field of hearing loss and develops and manufactures implantable hearing systems. These include cochlear implants, middle ear implants, bone conduction hearing implants, electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant systems and auditory brainstem implants. The company is headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria and was founded in 1990. MED-EL is a private company and is managed by its co-owner Ingeborg Hochmair, who is an internationally acclaimed scientist and researcher.BackgroundAustrian scientists Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair developed the first passive single-channel cochlear implant. The implantation of this device took place in 1977 in Vienna and was a milestone in the treatment of deafness. After further developing the technology the Hochmair’s went on to found MED-EL, in Innsbruck, Austria in 1990. Since 2003, the American physiologist and award-winning inventor Geoffrey R. Ball has become CTO of the company’s business unit VIBRANT MED-EL.Research and developmentIn August 2013, a new building was inaugurated specifically designed for research & development.MED-EL operates in over 100 countries worldwide including Europe, America, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The headquarters of the company are in Innsbruck, Austria.