Imagine buying glasses that were only tested in a perfectly lit room — they might not work well in real life. That's basically how hearing aids are developed and evaluated today: in quiet labs, not in noisy restaurants or family gatherings. HEAR-ECO built new ways to test hearing aids under realistic everyday conditions — measuring not just whether someone can hear, but whether they stay motivated to keep wearing them. The team combined psychology, brain measurement tools, and audiology to create tests that reflect what hearing aid users actually experience.
Over 16% of EU adults have hearing impairment — a number projected to reach 40% by 2030. Yet only 30%-40% of people fitted with hearing aids actually use them in daily life. A major reason is that hearing aids are developed and tested in lab conditions that don't reflect real-world use, so devices often fail to meet users' actual needs.
The project produced 24 deliverables, including a demonstrated ecologically valid communication test that incorporates realistic social aspects of everyday listening. The team also developed new outcome measures combining psychophysiology tools (pupillometry, PEP, EEG) with motivational and social psychology approaches for hearing aid evaluation.
If you are a hearing aid manufacturer struggling with the fact that 30%-40% of fitted hearing aids end up in a drawer — this project developed ecologically valid speech tests and real-world evaluation methods that let you measure device performance in realistic social situations, not just in a sound booth. Better real-world testing means products that users actually keep wearing.
If you are an audiology clinic dealing with patient dissatisfaction and low hearing aid adoption rates — this project created communication tests that include realistic social aspects of everyday listening. These tools can help you demonstrate real-world benefit to patients during fitting, improving retention and reducing returns.
If you are a clinical research organization running hearing device trials — this project developed new outcome measures combining psychophysiology (pupillometry, EEG) with motivational psychology. These methods provide richer, more ecologically valid endpoints for your trials than conventional audiometric tests alone.
The project does not publish pricing or licensing terms. Since HEAR-ECO was a Marie Curie training network (MSCA-ITN-EID), the outputs are primarily research methods and protocols rather than commercial products. Contact the coordinator at Amsterdam UMC for licensing discussions.
The ecologically valid speech tests were designed to bridge lab and real-world conditions, which makes them directly relevant to product development workflows. However, as a training network with 6 early-stage researchers, industrial-scale validation would require further development with a manufacturing partner.
IP from MSCA-ITN projects is typically shared between the academic hosts and the industry partner. The consortium included one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world (based in Denmark), suggesting industry-relevant IP may already be partially commercialized. Specific terms should be clarified with Amsterdam UMC.
The project produced 24 deliverables including a demonstrated ecologically valid communication test. These are validated research tools, not turnkey commercial products. Based on available project data, they are at a stage where an industry partner could integrate them into R&D pipelines with some adaptation work.
Current hearing aid evaluation happens in controlled lab settings that don't reflect real life. HEAR-ECO combined psychophysiology measures (pupillometry, EEG), motivational psychology, and realistic social communication scenarios — capturing dimensions that standard audiometric tests miss entirely.
Based on available project data, the project does not specifically address regulatory submissions. However, as regulators increasingly require real-world evidence for medical devices, ecologically valid outcome measures could strengthen regulatory dossiers for hearing aid approvals and reimbursement claims.
The HEAR-ECO consortium is compact but strategically composed: 4 partners across 3 countries (Denmark, Netherlands, UK) with a 25% industry ratio. The inclusion of a major Danish hearing aid manufacturer — described as one of the largest in the world — gives the research direct commercial relevance. Two universities and one research organization provide the scientific backbone. With no SMEs in the consortium, this is a big-industry-meets-academia setup, meaning the research outputs likely align with enterprise-scale hearing aid development rather than startup innovation. The coordinator, Amsterdam UMC, is a leading medical research center in the Netherlands.
Coordinator is STICHTING AMSTERDAM UMC in the Netherlands. Use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup service to find the project lead's direct contact.
Want an introduction to the HEAR-ECO team? SciTransfer can connect you with the researchers behind these real-world hearing aid evaluation tools. Contact us for a matchmaking consultation.
