Eriksholm Research Centre

What Eriksholm Research Centre does

Eriksholm Research Centre is a privately-held applied hearing research centre founded in 1976 and headquartered in Snekkersten, Denmark. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oticon, itself part of the Demant Group, a global hearing healthcare conglomerate. The centre operates as the dedicated translational research arm of Oticon, conducting multidisciplinary research spanning audiology, psychoacoustics, cognitive hearing science, artificial intelligence, and computational audiology. Its ultimate beneficiaries are people with hearing impairment, while its research outputs are transferred to Oticon for commercialisation in hearing aid products distributed globally.

The centre's research portfolio is anchored by several proprietary methodologies. The ACT (Audible Contrast Threshold) test predicts hearing-in-noise ability to enable more precise, personalised hearing aid fitting; Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) captures real-world listening outcomes via smartphone-based methodologies combined with continuous environmental and physiological data-logging; EEG-based speech intelligibility assessment uses in-ear electrodes to evaluate cortical representation of speech; pupillometry measures listening effort; and eye-gaze steering algorithms, developed in the COCOHA project, enable intent-based hearing aid control. Research infrastructure includes EEG, Ear-EEG, fNIRS, motion capture, eye-tracking, a large anechoic chamber with speaker array, a clinical audiology facility, and rehabilitation space supporting over 300 voluntary test subjects. The ACT test was commercially launched by Interacoustics at EUHA 2023 in October 2023.

Eriksholm operates as a non-commercial research entity rather than a revenue-generating business. Funding flows from the William Demant Foundation, William Demant Invest, Innovation Fund Denmark, and the Demant group itself, with research outputs licensed or transferred to Oticon for commercial application. The centre maintains deep academic partnerships with DTU, University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, Aarhus University, University of Gothenburg, VU University Amsterdam, University of Manchester, University of Western Ontario, and University of Birmingham, and has participated in EU Horizon 2020 projects including COCOHA (2015–2018) and EVOTION (2016–2020). In 2022, the centre produced 13 peer-reviewed journal papers, 7 conference proceedings, 20 conference posters, and 17 conference presentations, with researchers accumulating over 2,113 citations on Google Scholar.

Name

Eriksholm Research Centre

Legal name

Eriksholm Research Centre

Website

https://eriksholm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eriksholm Research Centre is an applied hearing research centre founded in 1976 by Oticon in Denmark. It conducts audiology, cognitive hearing science, and AI research, transferring findings to Oticon's commercial hearing aid products as part of the Demant group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiology Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Otology & Neurotology (Ear/Hearing/Balance) (HLAKAMAC), Audio & Speech Analytics (call analytics, QA, insights) (HDAAAFAH), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Audiology research
• Hearing research
• Cognitive hearing science
• Personalised audiology
• Hearing diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Snekkersten

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: Eriksholm operates as a non-profit research centre funded by the William Demant Foundation, William Demant Invest, Innovation Fund Denmark, and as part of the Demant group. Research outputs are transferred to Oticon for commercial application in hearing solutions.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eriksholm Research Centre conducts applied hearing research spanning audiology, psychoacoustics, cognitive hearing science, artificial intelligence, and computational audiology. Its outputs include proprietary research methodologies (such as the ACT diagnostic test, EMA, EEG-based speech intelligibility measurement, and pupillometry) and scientific evidence that is transferred to Oticon within the Demant group for incorporation into commercial hearing aid solutions. The centre also supervises PhD students and publishes peer-reviewed research in collaboration with leading academic institutions.

Product overview

Eriksholm Research Centre is a research facility within the Oticon/Demant group focused on applied hearing research. The organization does not sell commercial products but develops research methodologies and diagnostic tools. Its primary offerings include the ACT™ Test (Audible Contrast Threshold) - a diagnostic hearing test that predicts speech-in-noise ability for personalized hearing aid fitting - and comprehensive hearing research services encompassing speech perception, cognitive hearing science, and hearing aid evaluation through field trials and laboratory studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACT™ Test (Audible Contrast Threshold) A breakthrough hearing diagnostic test developed at Eriksholm that complements the pure-tone audiogram by predicting hearing-in-noise ability with hearing aids, enabling more precise and personalised hearing aid fitting. Targets hearing care professionals and people with hearing impairment.
• Hearing Research Services Applied hearing research services spanning speech perception studies, cognitive hearing science, personalised audiology, and intent decoding. Includes field trials with hearing aid users and laboratory experiments using EEG, fNIRS, pupillometry, and eye-tracking. Outputs feed directly into Oticon's commercial hearing aid product development within the Demant group.

Quantifiable outcome

• ACT test predicts speech-in-noise reception with hearing aids, enabling more precise and personalised hearing aid fitting
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and standard.

• Demant Group / OticonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEriksholm is an integral part of Oticon and the Demant group. Founded by Oticon in 1976, Eriksholm's research directly informs Oticon's hearing aid product development. This structural relationship enables translational research with real-world commercial impact.
• University of Southern DenmarkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on PhD student supervision and real-world hearing research projects. Collaborators include Tobias Neher as academic supervisor and Klaudia Edinger Andersson as PhD student.
• The University of ManchestermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaborator on MERHO project and real-world hearing research. Gabrielle H. Saunders serves as collaborator on clinical studies.
• Aalborg UniversitystandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on hearing research projects.
• Aarhus UniversitystandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on hearing research and student supervision.
• University of GothenburgstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on hearing research projects.
• SDU (University of Southern Denmark)standardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for PhD student supervision and collaborative research.
• DTU (Technical University of Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey academic collaborator on multiple projects. Professor Torsten Dau from DTU Hearing Systems collaborates on ALFi, PUPILS, Neural Correlates of Speech Intelligibility, and ACT test development. Postdoc project supported by William Demant Foundation.
• VU University AmsterdamstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on hearing research projects.
• University of Copenhagen (KU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on ALFi project (Assessment of Listening-related Fatigue in Daily Life) with Professors Trine Flensborg-Madsen and Naja Hulvej Rod from KU Public Health. Andreea Micula's postdoc position is a collaboration between KU and Eriksholm.
• University of Western OntariomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaborator on ALFi project with Professor Ingrid Johnsrude, and on COCOHA project. Sam Faulkner, a former student, is beginning a PhD under Dr. Susan Scollie at the National Centre for Audiology, Western University Canada.
• University of BirminghamstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaborator on ALFi project with Associate Professor Matthew Apps from School of Psychology.
• Interacoustics Research UnitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on development of the ACT test. The IRU led the clinical version development with core team including Søren Laugesen and Lisbeth Birkelund Simonsen. Interacoustics launched the ACT test commercially in October 2023.
• EU Horizon 2020 (COCOHA Project)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded research project (January 2015 to December 2018) developing cognitive control of hearing aids. Eriksholm integrated findings into a real-time prototype hearing aid. COCOHA examined how to decode users' intent for attention-based hearing aid control.
• EU Horizon 2020 (EVOTION Project)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded big data project (2016-2020) with 13 partners across Europe, demonstrating how big data tools support hearing health care development, monitoring, and documentation of interventions. Eriksholm contributed understanding of hearing aid usage patterns and contextual preferences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sonova: Swiss parent of Phonak and Unitron hearing aids; operates major corporate R&D centres in Staefa focused on audiology, signal processing and AI for hearing aids. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated hearing-aid group with in-house research functions analogous to Demant/Eriksholm.
• WS Audiology: Owner of Widex, Signia and other hearing-aid brands; maintains significant research operations in Denmark (Widex) and Germany, working on audiological research, AI and signal processing. Highly comparable as a competing corporate hearing-aid group with deep R&D heritage.
• GN Hearing: Parent of ReSound, Beltone and Jabra Enhance; operates hearing-aid R&D in Denmark with focus on audiology, AI-driven sound processing and connectivity. Directly comparable as a Denmark-headquartered hearing-aid R&D competitor and fellow member of the Danish hearing ecosystem.
• Starkey Hearing Technologies: US-based hearing-aid manufacturer operating its own research organisation focused on audiology, AI-driven hearing aids, and health-monitoring features. Comparable as a corporate hearing-aid R&D function targeting similar translational research outcomes.
• National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL): Australian independent hearing research institute funded by the Australian Government, conducting applied hearing science research for hearing-care policy and product development. Comparable as a dedicated applied hearing research centre producing diagnostic tools and clinical evidence.
• Interacoustics: Danish manufacturer of audiology diagnostic equipment and a Demant sister entity; collaborated with Eriksholm on the ACT test and launched it commercially in October 2023. Comparable as the commercial channel through which Eriksholm's diagnostic research reaches clinics globally.
• House Research Institute: US hearing and balance research institute historically focused on audiology, otology and hearing-aid research. Comparable as an independent applied hearing research organisation, though smaller in scope and predominantly clinical/medical in orientation.

Emerging players

• DTU Hearing Systems: Academic research group at the Technical University of Denmark working on auditory perception, speech intelligibility and hearing-aid signal processing; key collaborator with Eriksholm on ACT, ALFi and neural-correlates projects. Comparable as an academic hearing-science peer and frequent research partner.
• Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (MANCAD): University of Manchester research centre focused on hearing science, audiological rehabilitation and real-world hearing research; collaborator on Eriksholm's MERHO project. Comparable as an academic applied-hearing research centre addressing overlapping research questions.
• National Centre for Audiology (Western University, Canada): Canadian academic hearing research centre with strengths in paediatric and adult audiology, hearing-aid fitting research, and clinical trials. Comparable as an academic hearing-research hub collaborating with Eriksholm on translational audiology projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRkYthtxFp9U3NoI1PHitSg
• Facebookfacebook.com/EriksholmResearchCentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eriksholm-research-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/eriksholm_research_centre
• Xx.com/EriksholmRC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Eriksholm Research Centre