Professor Bob Cowan receives Cooperative Research Australia Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Bob Cowan being presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Industry-Research Collaboration, by Ms Belinda Robinson (Chair, Cooperative Research Australia) and Dr David Thodey AO.

World-renowned hearing expert Professor Bob Cowan has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Industry-Research Collaboration by Cooperative Research Australia (CRA).

Professor Cowan, a University of Melbourne Professorial Research Fellow and Managing Director of HEARnet Clinical Studies, led the Australian Government-funded HEARing Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) from 1992-2019, bringing together industry, public sector, and university collaborators.

He has been recognised for his ground-breaking work over three decades in raising awareness of the economic costs and benefits of addressing prevention and improved remediation of hearing loss in children, adults and the aged.

Under Professor Cowan’s leadership, CRC technology outcomes have supported Cochlear Ltd’s world-leading position and been applied commercially in fitting half the world’s hearing aids, improved hearing in noise for iPhones, protection of hearing of call-centre operators, and automated diagnostic testing for infants.

Professor Cowan has created a lasting legacy in workforce capacity, investing HEARing CRC commercial revenues to embed 72 PhDs with industry and clinical partners, including Cochlear and hospital services across Australia.

Congratulations to Professor Cowan on this award.