In Focus July-August 2026
ORCA Labs Research Grant SOUND PREFERENCE Explore an emerging area of hearing research
What's in focus Sound Preference Grant
Why Sound Preference?
Some of the most important advances in science begin with questions that have yet to be answered.
Sound Preference is an emerging area of hearing research with the potential to deepen our understanding of hearing, listening, and personalized hearing care.
While we know a great deal about hearing loss, hearing aids, and speech understanding, we know much less about why people experience sound differently.
Why does the same sound feel right to one person and wrong to another?
People with similar hearing profiles often respond very differently to the same listening experience. Some people quickly adapt to amplified sound and make it part of their everyday lives. Others continue to struggle, even when the hearing solution is technically and audiologically well fitted.
To help answer them, we are launching the first ORCA Labs Research Grant.
Grant information
Grant at a Glance
Funding Available
Up to EUR 100,000
Call Announced
July 1, 2026
Application Deadline
September 15, 2026
Grant Recipient Announced
October 15, 2026
Project Start
Beginning of 2027
Eligibility
Researchers, clinicians, universities, research institutions, and interdisciplinary teams.
Application Process
Short proposal and project budget.
Submission E-mail
orcagrant@wsa.com
Download Grant Application Guide
Why This Matters
Despite remarkable advances in hearing technology, we still know relatively little about how people experience sound.
Understanding Sound Preference may help explain differences in listening behavior, hearing aid adoption, rehabilitation outcomes, and personalized hearing care.
This grant is designed to encourage new knowledge in an area where many important questions remain unanswered.
Research Collaboration
Sound Preference Academic Advisory Board
In spring 2026, we assembled a board of leading researchers to advise on the development of the Sound Preference approach.
The idea was, and still is, to identify research opportunities, guide development, and inspire engagement from the academic community.
To ensure transparency and scientific credibility, the Advisory Board defined this Call for Proposals for the first round of the ORCA Labs Research Grant. The Board will also independently review applications and select the winning project.
ORCA Labs provides the funding. The Advisory Board provides the scientific leadership.
Filip Rønne
Research funding is best spent on research. I believe researchers should spend their time generating knowledge, not managing paperwork
ORCA Labs
Our Grant Philosophy
At ORCA Labs, we believe research money is best spent in the hands of researchers on actual research.
That is why we believe in a low-admin approach to grants. The less admin, the more research gets done.
If you receive funding through this grant, you will not be required to provide expense overviews or extensive reporting. All we ask is that you publish your findings and present them to ORCA Labs employees in an online seminar.
The low-admin approach also goes the other way. So do not expect a long explanation if you did not win the grant. Our Board’s time is better spent on research than on writing explanations for research that never got started.
We also believe in open access publications. All research we conduct is published as open access, and all research we fund is required to be published the same way.
We believe research creates the greatest value when it is shared.
The Future
Looking Ahead
Sound Preference is the first topic selected for the ORCA Labs Research Grant program.
Our ambition is to support future research into emerging and underexplored areas of hearing, cognition, human experience and participation.
For now, this is where we start.