London, United Kingdom – In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to cochlear implant technology, Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, the founders of MED-EL, have been honoured with the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Along with other pioneering engineers, the Hochmairs have received one of the world’s most prestigious engineering awards for their life-changing medical innovation. The award highlights the intersection of engineering and medicine and the incredible impact these advancements have on society.
The 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering acknowledges the design and development of modern neural interfaces, which have restored lost human functions, and the visionary engineers behind them. Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair are recognized alongside Graeme Clark and Blake Wilson for their groundbreaking work in cochlear implants, a technology that has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide over the past four decades.
The Hochmairs’ journey began in 1975 at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria, where they launched pioneering research into cochlear implants. Their work led to the world’s first microelectronic cochlear implant in 1977, marking a pivotal moment in hearing technology. Their dedication to signal processing, implant miniaturization, and long-term biocompatibility laid the foundation for today’s advanced cochlear implants.
Their groundbreaking work not only revolutionized hearing care but also paved the way for the founding of MED-EL. Today, the company continues to advance neural interface engineering with recent advancements such as the Totally Implantable Cochlear Implant (TICI), delivering even more personalized and lifelike hearing experiences.
Ingeborg Hochmair, Co-founder, and CEO of MED-EL, stated, “This honour recognizes not only a technological achievement but a belief we have held from the very beginning—that engineering, guided by compassion and scientific integrity, can fundamentally change lives.” She added, “Cochlear implants were once considered impossible by many. Today, they demonstrate what can be achieved when engineers, clinicians, and users work together with a shared purpose.”
Erwin Hochmair, Co-founder of MED-EL, added, “From the earliest experiments, our goal was to create a neural interface that could work in harmony with the human auditory system over a lifetime. This recognition by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering affirms the importance of long-term thinking, scientific persistence, and engineering solutions that truly serve people.”
The 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has also been awarded to Graeme Clark, Blake Wilson, John Donoghue, Alim Louis Benabid, Pierre Pollak, Jocelyne Bloch, and Grégoire Courtine for the design and development of modern neural interfaces that restore human function. The Laureates will share the £500,000 prize and collectively represent a new era in neuroengineering and neuroprosthetics, alongside parallel breakthroughs in brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation, and electronic spinal stimulation. Together, these innovations demonstrate the extraordinary potential of engineering to restore lost functions, independence, and dignity.
The 2026 Laureates were formally announced by Lord Vallance, Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, at the Science Museum in London on February 3rd, 2026.
For MED-EL, this award is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and its mission to deliver lifelong hearing solutions for people of all ages. Ingeborg Hochmair stated, “Our mission has always been to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. At MED-EL, we will continue to invest in research, accessibility, and technologies that help people participate fully in life, wherever they are.”
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is awarded annually and celebrates engineering visionaries whose groundbreaking innovations have global benefits to humanity. The prize is open to up to ten living individuals of any nationality who are personally responsible for a groundbreaking innovation in engineering. The judges use strict criteria to select the winner or winners based on the groundbreaking innovation, its global benefit, and the role of other individuals in its development.
To learn more about this year’s winning innovation, visit www.qeprize.org/winners.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, strives to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately-owned company was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose groundbreaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant successfully implanted in 1977. This innovation laid the foundation for the company’s growth in 1990, and today, MED-EL employs more than 3,100 people from around 90 nations across 30 locations worldwide.
MED-EL offers the most extensive range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 140 countries to experience the gift of
