IHI 2026 Pre-Event: The Impact of Hearing Technologies and Audiology on Education, Clinical Practice, Technology, and Society
- Wednesday, 30 September 2026, 14:00-18:00
- Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (Main Entrance, IR Sant Pau), Carrer Sant Quintí, 77-79, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Official event language: English
The Pre-Event of the Innovations in Hearing Implants Conference (IHI 2026; www.ihi2026.com), an international event will bring together leading European experts to discuss the impact of audiology on research, education, clinical practice, technology, and society.
The event will provide a unique opportunity to learn about international initiatives in education, research, clinical practice, technology, and innovation in audiology, as well as to network with professionals, researchers, companies, and institutions in the field. It will also offer the opportunity to explore new collaborations between academia, healthcare, industry, and associations in addressing current and future challenges in hearing health.
Preliminary Programme
14:00 - 15:00 Visit to IR Sant Pau
Tour of the research and clinical care facilities related to audiology and hearing health.
15:00 - 15:15 Institutional Welcome
- Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR Sant Pau)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
15:15 - 15:35
Keynote Lecture 1: Educating Audiologists in Belgium: Building Expertise, Identity and Impact
Prof. Astrid van Wieringen
KU Leuven, Belgium
15:35 - 15:55
Keynote Lecture 2: Development of ENT and audiology training in the Netherlands - from master-trainee to logbooks and EPAs
Prof. Johan Frijns
Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
15:55 - 16:15
Keynote Lecture 3: Impact of Audiology and Cochlear Implantation on Rehabilitation and Social Integration in Children
Prof. Angelika Illg
Hannover Medical School, Germany
16:15 - 16:35
Keynote Lecture 4: Bridging Tech and Patient Care: Clinical Integration at TU Darmstadt and University Medicine Frankfurt
Prof. Uwe Baumann
University Medicine Frankfurt, Germany
16:35 - 16:55
Technology Demonstrations, Coffee and Networking
A networking session for participants, researchers, associations, and companies, featuring demonstrations of innovative technologies and solutions for hearing health.
Demo 1: Renata Vasilescu, Xavier Pérez Ruiz, Hannover Medical School, Spain and Germany, "AI sound coding strategies for Cochlear Implants"
Demo 2: María Amparo Callejón-Leblic, Spain, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, "OTOVIRT 2.0: New Cost-Effective, easy-to-use haptic stimulator and computational pipeline for virtual surgery in otolaryngology".
Demo3: Prof. Volker Hohmann, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany, "Powering hearing device research with the Portable Hearing Lab (PHL)".
Demo 4: Constantino Dragicevic, Mechthild Meierott, Helen Wolf, Spain, "READISTIM: Rehabiltation and Diagnosis of Hearing Loss based on Electric Acoustic Interaction".
Demo 5: Prof. Patrique Fiedler, TU Ilmenau and Hannover Medical School, Germany, "Dry EEG technology for objective Cochlear Implant Fitting".
Demo 6: Dr. Anil Nagathil, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, "Real-time implementation of a music processing algorithm for cochlear implants based on an auditory adaptation mechanism".
17:00 - 17:15
Transfer to the Modernist Site
17:15 - 18:30
Guided Visit to the Sant Pau Hospital MuseumGuided tour of one of Barcelona's most iconic Modernist architectural complexes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
List of Recommended Hotels
For the pre-event in Sant Pau we provide a list of Hotels close to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and its Research Institute (IR-San Pau):
- Hotel Sant Pau (recommended).
C/ Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 173
08041 Barcelona España
(+34) 93 433 51 51
[email protected]
- Hotel Medicis
Carrer de los Castillejos, 340, 08025 Barcelona
- Eric Vökel Sagrada Familia Suites
Carrer de la Indústria 165 · 08025, Barcelona
