Our stories The difference we make The difference we make The Bionics Institute consists of researchers, engineers and technicians working closely with clinicians to pioneer new technologies that address the unmet needs of people living with hearing loss, tinnitus, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and urinary incontinence. Knowledge translation via delivery of innovative devices and/or technologies to improve patient outcomes is the main way we can demonstrate the difference we make. These outcomes include: development of the cochlear implant over several decades; development of the bionic eye which is currently in clinical trials; development of prototype devices for long-term monitoring of seizures in epilepsy patients; a novel system for the identification of hitherto undiagnosed hearing disorders in babies; a unique abdomen-implanted electrical stimulation device for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. There is no single metric to quantify the outcomes of research that is underway, however, we do reach milestones in each project that indicate a major step forward in device development; the end-point being taking a prototype device/technology to clinical trial. The Institute has consistently delivered high-quality research outputs exceeding many of its medical research peers in Australia. In 2019 the Bionics Institute became the first medical research institute in Australia to achieve comprehensive ISO9001 certification covering all of its operations, research and development processes. Much of the Institute’s activity supports internal research and development projects, with 20% of the Institute’s revenues sourced from the provision of services to external clients. This includes contract manufacture and research and development for Australian and international companies, as well as manufacture of custom components. Please see below to hear our CEO, researchers and clinical collaborators talk about the difference we make.