TINNITUSFREEFOUNDATION
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
MISSION
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
FUNDING
GAP
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
AWARENESS
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
RESEARCH
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
WITH US
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
US
THE TINNITUSFREE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS IN THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE TINNITUS TREATMENTS.
Our Mission
The Scale of the Problem
Tinnitus affects up to 15% of the global population—over 750 million people worldwide. For 20% of those affected (150 million people), the condition is severely debilitating, destroying sleep, concentration, careers, and mental health.
Despite affecting more people than diabetes or Alzheimer's, tinnitus research receives a fraction of the funding. There is currently no cure, largely because research remains critically underfunded.
The TinnitusFree Foundation tackles this funding gap by supporting innovative scientific research and connecting researchers, institutions, and funding partners.
The Funding Gap
Why tinnitus research remains critically underfunded
Scientific Barriers
Economic Barriers
Perceptual Barriers
Why Private Funding is Essential
Traditional funders won't take the necessary risks. Private funding enables:
- Fund unconventional, multimodal research approaches
- Develop objective measurement tools—the key to unlocking all other funding
- Support young researchers and build research capacity
- Raise public awareness and change perceptions about tinnitus
Raising Awareness
Research funding alone won't solve tinnitus—we must also prevent the next generation from developing it. The number of young people with tinnitus has doubled in recent years, primarily due to headphone use and noise exposure at concerts, festivals, and nightlife.
By raising public awareness about hearing protection, safe listening levels, and occupational risks, we can stop millions from developing tinnitus before it starts.
High-Risk Groups
- Music creators and concert-goers
- Anyone using earbuds daily
- Motorcyclists
- Construction workers
- Military personnel
Simple behavioral changes today can spare the next generation from lifelong suffering.
Our Research
War On Tinnitus
Building the Evidence Base for Breakthrough Treatments
Traditional research methods have failed to produce any FDA or CE-approved treatments after decades of effort. We need a fundamentally different strategy.
Inspired by the "War On AIDS" research model, this initiative employs every relevant scientific approach simultaneously—funding more than 14 different research approaches in parallel over 3-5 years.
Making Tinnitus Measurable
Developing Objective Biomarkers and Assessment Tools
Without objective measurement tools, progress has been severely limited. We're developing biomarkers for tinnitus presence and severity and enabling more precise clinical trials.
The Music Creators Study
Understanding Tinnitus in the Music Industry
Chris Martin, Bono, Eric Clapton, Martin Garrix, Lars Ulrich, and Bob Dylan all have tinnitus. We studied prevalence among professional music creators and identified industry-specific risk factors and combined it with the international meta-analysis of 67 scientific studies involving a total of 28,311 musicians from 21 countries.
Status: Data collection phase | 2024–2026. For more information see the NEWS section.
Tinnitus Crowd Wisdom
Using Patient Data to Identify Patterns
By collecting and analyzing data from thousands of patients, we can identify subtypes, risk factors, and potential treatment pathways that smaller studies would miss.
Our Global Network of Tinnitus Experts
The TinnitusFree Foundation collaborates with leading researchers and clinicians worldwide who are dedicated to advancing tinnitus science and treatment.
- Prof. Dr. Dirk de Ridder
Neurological Foundation Chair of Neurosurgery, department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand - Prof. Jae-Jin Song
Professor Otorhinolaryngology & Neurotology at Seoul National University Hospital. - Dr. Ir. Christos Strydis
Associate Professor & Neurocomputing Lab Head
Neuroscience Dept, Erasmus MC
Quantum & Computer Engineering Dept, TU Delft - Sven Vanneste, Ph.D
Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. - Marco Congedo
Senior Researcher, French National Center for Scientific Research, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institute of Technology - Prof. Dr. Ir. Wouter Serdijn
Professor in Bioelectronics at Delft University of Technology - Dr. Ir. Jan A.P.M. de Laat
PhD, Physicist-Audiologist
Leiden University Medical Center - Drs. Arno Lieftink
Former Psychologist at Erasmus MC Rotterdam and UMC Utrecht - Dr. Joop van Gent
Language Technologist, CEO Irion Technologies, Delft, The Netherlands - Prof. Dr. Nico de Vries
ENT, OLVG Hospital Amsterdam - Prof. Dr. Raymond van Ee
Professor Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen; Philips Eindhoven - Dr. Laure Jacquemin
Postdoctoral (Tinnitus) Researcher
University of Antwerp - Prof. Dr. Gerard Borst
Dept. of Neuroscience
Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Partner With Us
Strategic Research Investment
Your contribution supports carefully vetted, high-quality research projects with clear objectives and methodologies. We handle due diligence, project management, and impact reporting.
Collaborative Approach
We pool resources with other funders to support larger-scale projects that achieve greater impact than individual grants alone.
Transparency & Accountability
We provide detailed reporting on how funds are used, research progress, and outcomes achieved.
Interested in partnering?
Contact us at noise@tinnitusfree.eu
News
Understanding Tinnitus in the Music Industry
March, 2026
Chris Martin, Bono, Eric Clapton, Martin Garrix, Lars Ulrich, and Bob Dylan all have tinnitus. We studied prevalence among professional music creators and identified industry-specific risk factors and combined it with the international meta-analysis of 67 scientific studies involving a total of 28,311 musicians from 21 countries.
Read More →TinnitusFree donates €9.000 towards the Neuromodulator Research Project
October 30, 2025
TinnitusFree has funded the purchase of a NeurOptics® NPi®-300 pupillometer for the University of Otago. This high-end pupillometer is a portable, automated measuring device that accurately and objectively measures pupil size, symmetry and response to light in patients. It provides measurable certainty and improves interprofessional reliability. The pupillometer will be used for the clinical trials of the Neuromodulator at the University of Otago, New Zealand, to measure the effect of neuromodulation. Pupil reduction indicates that the patient is relaxing. The Neuromodulator device is developed by the Technical University of Delft and the Brai3n Centre for Neuromodulation in Gent, under supervision of professor Wouter Serdijn (TU Delft) and Professor Dirk de Ridder (University of Otago).
TinnitusFree funds international effort for objective tinnitus test
July 9, 2025
The TinnitusFree Foundation has announced funding for a pioneering international research project aimed at identifying the world's first objective diagnostic marker for tinnitus—a major step toward transforming how this condition is diagnosed and treated.
Read More →About Us
Legal Status
The TinnitusFree Foundation is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation (ANBI) by the Dutch tax authorities under ID no. 859779890. Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration (KvK) no. 74122274.
Get In Touch
Celebrity Supporters
- CeeLo Green
- Deborah Harry
- Sir Bob Geldof
- Chris Stein
- Roger Taylor
- Oliver Heldens
- Sam Feldt
- Bart Peeters
- Ellen ten Damme
- Ernst Jansz
- Marcel Vanthilt
- Sean Dhondt
- Ferry Roosenboom
- Blaxtar
- Huub van der Lubbe
- Leon Ramakers
- Phil Rodriquez