Braincoder, a project awarded on many levels
- melaniebret4
- Jul 21
- 1 min read
For the 50 million people suffering from profound deafness, 100 000 of whom are ineligible for cochlear implants, the technology developed by Braincoder promises far better sound perception than current solutions.
To accelerate the transition from research to practical application, the European Research Council (ERC)1 awarded a 150 000€ grant to the Braincoder project on July 14th, 2025.
Braincoder offers a revolutionary approach that combines stimulation of the auditory cortex with an artificial intelligence-based algorithm capable of translating sounds into electrical signals.
This project, led by members of the reConnect Institute, also won the Béatrice Denys Prize2 in June 2025 for its strong scientific, clinical and entrepreneurial potential.
“The prize from the Béatrice Denys Foundation will enable us to launch the construction of the prototype of our new device by recruiting a manager to oversee the technical and fundraising process” explains Brice Bathellier, researcher at the reConnect Institute at the Hearing Institute, center of the Institut Pasteur, and behind the Braincoder project.
This project is also supported by the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) through its NeuRAL program.
1The European Research Council (ERC), reated in 2007 by the European Union, is a funding organization. It funds creative researchers through four core programs: starting grants, consolidator grants, advanced grants and synergy grants.
2Created in 2013 as a tribute to Béatrice Denys, co-founder of Turenne Groupe’s Healthcare business, the Béatrice Denys Prize supports researchers-entrepreneurs who transform laboratory discoveries into concrete solutions to improve patients’ lives.
