Participation study starts in Einstein Telescope area

Commissioned by the Einstein Telescope EMR project office, Hasselt University will soon start a participation project in the telescope’s search area. Over the next year and a half, researchers will map out what residents expect from the arrival of the Einstein Telescope and what their wishes are.

This exploratory research will contribute to the bid book, which must be ready by the end of 2026. The research project is part of the overall environmental dialogue, stakeholder management and communication activities of the project office.

Customised

The participation process is being carried out by the Civic and Policy Design Group at Hasselt University and is led by Professor Liesbeth Huybrechts. This group has extensive experience with design and participation processes and is often called in for large infrastructure projects that have an impact on the environment and the residents of the area.

The exact form of the research will be determined based on the initial explorations. This customised approach will in any case include street interviews, in-depth discussions with residents and other stakeholders in the area, and the organisation of meetings.

After an initial broad scan of the Walloon, Flemish, East Belgian and Dutch search area, the actions will then focus more specifically on the municipalities and communities that will emerge in due course as the location where the Einstein Telescope is to be built.

Telescope is a guest in the area

Liesbeth Huybrechts: ‘Of course, we are delighted to have been asked to contribute our expertise to such a large project. In our preliminary discussions with the project office, we understood that the Einstein Telescope sees itself as a guest in this Euregio and therefore takes the surrounding area and its residents very seriously. We want to investigate whether the Einstein Telescope can have a positive impact on the sustainability and liveability of the villages in the area and what that would look like. There may well be clashes between interests or expectations, but taking the local community seriously is the only right starting point for dealing with this properly. We are extremely motivated to make a positive contribution here.’

Opportunities

Environmental manager Johan Rutten of the Einstein Telescope EMR project office is pleased that the expertise of Hasselt University has been brought in:

‘We are already putting a lot of effort into stakeholder engagement and communication, but that is mainly focused on our ongoing feasibility study. Liesbeth Huybrechts and her researchers are looking further ahead and identifying what residents and local stakeholders expect, what they may be concerned about, and where they see opportunities. In this way, the project office wants to strengthen involvement for when the construction phase begins and also for the period of at least 50 years that the telescope will be part of the landscape and the local community.’