Deafness is the second most common disability in the UK, affecting almost nine million people, and Deafness Research UK's new Ear Institute brings together nine leading research teams at the UCL to create a world-class centre in hearing research.
The Duke has now toured the new centre, which opened this week, and pledged his support for a new appeal which aims to raise money to attract the best young scientists to work at the Institute.
He said: "The UCL Ear Institute is bringing the full range of scientific disciplines together under one roof for the first time in an attempt to understand the whole hearing process from the outer ear to the brain.
"I am delighted to be supporting Deafness Research UK's appeal to raise urgently needed funds to help fill the Institute with the young talented scientists it needs to carry out its research programmes and I wish them every success in the future."
The Ear Institute is housed in a specially-designed building next to the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London and was built with a £9 million grant from the Wellcome Trust.
Deafness Research UK's new appeal aims to raise urgently needed funds to attract the very best young scientists into the field of hearing research through a programme of four-year postgraduate PhD studentships.
They will join the Institute's internationally-renowned research teams to conduct ground-breaking research into the causes, prevention and treatment of deafness. The appeal will also raise funds for essential materials, a Research Fellow and other research posts.
Vivienne Michael, chief executive of Deafness Research UK, said: "Talented young scientists are the key to accelerating progress towards finding ways of curing or preventing deafness.
"Our appeal aims to help the Ear Institute fill its labs with the researchers it needs to make the breakthroughs that will transform life for millions of deaf and hard of hearing people."
Research at the Institute includes molecular biology, genetics, neurosciences, and biophysics. It is the first time all of these techniques have been brought together in one place in the UK, creating a centre with the critical size and range of skills needed to properly investigate and understand the workings of the whole auditory system.
Deafness Research UK is Britain's only charity dedicated to funding medical research into deafness and is committed to creating a world where no one has to live with hearing loss and the problems it brings.