EERS, a Montreal, Canada-based company that has developed revolutionary new hearing protection, communication, and monitory technology, has received backing from the Quebec government under its Creativity Quebec program in the form of a $3.05 million loan (approximately USD $2.26 million), EERS announced in a press release.  This reportedly marks an important milestone for the company as it undertakes the pre-commercialization phase of this new technology, which won the US Department of Labor OSHA Hear & Now competition. The company also announces the appointment of Charles Gauvin as president and CEO.

“This new financing and Charles’ arrival give us the means to continue product pilot projects in preparation for its commercial launch later this fall,” said EERS Founder Nick Laperle. “I commend the Quebec government for its vision in supporting this innovative technology and providing a helping hand toward our objective of protecting the hearing of a million workers in Quebec and around the world within the next five years.”

“Creativity Quebec is tailor-made for innovative companies like EERS that are hard at work in Quebec developing tomorrow’s technologies,” said Dominique Anglade, minister of Economy, Science and Innovation and the minister responsible for the digital strategy. “This visionary project shows just how successful we have been in Quebec with research and innovation and all the great work being done to improve the well-being of Quebec workers. Our government is proud to be part of this success and excited about the benefits we are convinced it will pay in terms of better hearing health for our manufacturing and other workers.”

According to the announcement, EERS industrial earphones offer a new level of protection against hearing loss. They reportedly efficiently block out damaging noise while allowing workers to communicate with each other without removing their devices. They also have a monitoring feature that records ambient noise levels and worker exposure. Soon, managers will be able to take immediate action whenever hearing safety is imperiled.

For the pre-commercialization phase, Gauvin will be contributing his more than 25 years in innovative product development and commercialization at home and abroad. “With its remarkable technology and ability to educate businesses about the damage that daily exposure to industrial noise can cause, EERS is ideally positioned to become an industry leader in short order,” said Gauvin. “I am proud to be part of the team.”

EERS is also very pleased with the recent decision of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), to support the creation of the EERS-NSERC Industrial Research Chair in In-Ear Technology through its Industrial Chair Program (ICP). The chair, directed by Professor Jérémie Voix of ETS (École de technologie supérieure) will receive $1.4 million (approximately USD $1.04 million) in funding over the next five years to support the development of innovative technologies for an entire range of EERS’ in-ear devices, according to EERS.

Source: EERS