Cardiff Met launches Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research

News | 27 September 2024

Cardiff Metropolitan University has officially launched a new research centre this week which specialises in research on speech, hearing and communication.

The Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research is one of seven research centres in the Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, and brings together expertise in three major areas of research, including clinical speech and language therapy research; healthy and impaired hearing; and bilingual and multilingual development. The clinical speech and language research is run in partnership with the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU).

The Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research has received grants from a number of funding bodies, including Welsh Government, the NIHR, the NIH (USA), and the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, and much of its research involves national and international collaborations, notably with universities in Europe, the USA, China, Japan and Australia.

Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rachael Langford, who attended the launch event, said: “The work at the Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research is very much clinically applied and aims to make a real difference to service users, ensuring the services they receive are effective, efficient and informed by evidence from high-quality research.”

Professor Katie Thirlaway, Dean of Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences praised the Centre’s success for its contribution to the University’s research portfolio and its activities surrounding the career development of researchers at all levels.

Professor Thirlaway said: “I am thrilled to see the centre thrive and adopt a ‘can-do’ attitude. It has generated an impressive portfolio of projects, and I look forward to seeing its impact and success develop over time.”

For further information on the Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research and its activities, please contact the Head of Centre, Dr Robert Mayr on rmayr@cardiffmet.ac.uk.