Einstein Telescope on German shortlist is “important step towards final approval”

The German Federal Government has placed the Einstein Telescope on the national shortlist of major scientific infrastructures whose realisation is being pursued as a matter of priority. Important considerations in this regard are that the German government describes the Einstein Telescope as a project of scientific, economic and social importance for Germany.

Minister North-Rhine Westphalia

In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Science Minister Ina Brandes responded confidently to the step taken in Berlin. In a statement, she said, ‘Although the location has not yet been chosen, the Federal Government is sending an important signal that it supports the candidacy of North Rhine-Westphalia, together with the Netherlands and Belgium, for the construction of the underground observatory.

The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has already indicated that it intends to make a substantial contribution to the construction of the Einstein Telescope in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, provided that the Federal Government does the same.

The Technical University of Aachen also welcomed the German Ministry of Research, Technology and Space’s decision to put the ET on the shortlist of nine plans from the longer list of 32 applications. ‘This is not yet the final approval, but it is the most important step in that direction,’ said Professor Achim Stahl on the RWTH website.

Four universities

Four universities have been designated as leaders for further development on the German side. These are RWTH Aachen, the University of Bochum, the University of Münster and the Technical University of Dresden.

The first three have already signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in which a total of 20 universities and knowledge institutions in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have agreed to collaborate on the ET initiative in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.

Planning

This preparatory phase now consists of classic planning work for the researchers, as Professor Armin Stahl explains: ‘We are now entering the detailed planning phase, in which we will discuss issues such as the construction of tunnels. Thanks to new measurements, we can now plan this much more accurately than before. There will be no time to get bored!’ says Professor Achim Stahl.

Letter

In response to the German coalition agreement a few months ago, the ministers-presidents of the Netherlands, Belgium, Flanders, Wallonia and the German-speaking community of Belgium sent a letter to (then prospective) Chancellor Merz to once again draw attention to the ET-EMR proposal. In this letter, federal Germany was called upon to follow the example of North Rhine-Westphalia and to fully endorse the joint EMR bid.