MED-EL founders nominated for European Inventor Award 2014 / European Patent Office honors most important innovations of recent years (FOTO)

Innsbruck, Austria (ots) -

- Cross-reference: Picture is available at
http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.htx?type=obs -

Today, the European Patent Office (EPO) officially announced the
nominees for this year's European Inventor Award. Among the three
nominees of the category lifetime achievement are Dr. Ingeborg and
Prof. Dr. Erwin Hochmair, both founders of the MED-EL company. In the
1970s the scientists laid the foundation for the development of the
first micro- electronic multi-channel cochlear implant and have since
then opened the world of hearing to over 100,000 people suffering
hearing loss. The European Inventor Award annually honors scientists
worldwide who substantially contribute to the technological progress
and economic growth. Among the winners in the category lifetime
achievement are scientists like the physician Martin Schadt for the
invention of the LCD technology or Virologist Erik De Clercq for his
contribution to antiviral therapy. The official presentation of the
award winner will take place on 17th June in Berlin, Germany.

It's about the spirit of invention

The European Inventor Award was initiated by the EPO in 2006. The
key premise for the jury is the inventors' creativity, which brings
forward technological progress and helps improve the daily lives of
many people in the world. "The development and launch of the first
micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant changed the lives of
many hearing impaired people. Thanks to this high-tech device and the
technology of electrical stimulation people with severe-to- profound
hearing loss are given the chance to hear again and lead a normal
life", justifies the EPO the nomination of Dr. Ingeborg and Prof. Dr.
Erwin Hochmair. Along with them, scientists from the areas of
medicine and electrical engineering are also nominated for the
category lifetime achievement.

Interdisciplinary research from the beginning

The foundation for the development of the modern cochlear implant
was laid in the 1970s by Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair at the Vienna
University of Technology. In 1977 the first micro-electronic multi-
channel cochlear implant, developed by the two scientists, was
successfully inserted in Vienna for the first time. "We are very
pleased about the nomination. To be nominated once more puts public
emphasis on the topic of hearing loss and the chances given through
cochlear implantation", say Dr. Ingeborg and Prof. Dr. Erwin
Hochmair.

For more information, visit www.epo.org/european-inventor.

About MED-EL

Austria-based MED-EL Medical Electronics is a leading provider of
hearing implant systems with 29 subsidiaries worldwide. The family-
owned business is one of the pioneers in the industry. The two
Austrian scientists Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair developed the world's
first microelectronic-multichannel Cochlear-Implant in 1977. The
cochlear implant was and remains the first replacement of a human
sense, the sense of hearing. In 1990 they laid the foundation for the
successful growth of the company when they hired their first
employees. To date, the company has grown to more than 1500 employees
around the world.

Today MED-EL offers the widest range of implantable solutions
worldwide to treat various degrees of hearing loss: cochlear and
middle ear implant systems, EAS (combined Electric Acoustic
Stimulation) hearing implant system and auditory brainstem implants
as well as the world´s first active bone conduction implant. People
in over 100 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a
product from MED-EL. www.medel.com

Press contact
Thomas Herrmann
MED-EL Medical Electronics
Fürstenweg 77a
A - 6020 Innsbruck
T: +43 (0) 577 885-182
E: thomas.herrmann@medel.com
www.medel.com
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