Saxony now officially a candidate for the location of the Einstein Telescope
After Saxony, in eastern Germany, unofficially announced at the end of last year that it wanted to compete for a location to build the Einstein Telescope, this has now become official. The Council of Government Representatives (BGR) recently confirmed this.
The BGR comprises senior government representatives from the European countries that have thrown their weight behind the Einstein Telescope project. This means that there are now three candidates wishing to build the Einstein Telescope: Saxony, Sardinia in Italy and our Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR), in which Belgium, the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia are working on a joint feasibility study.
Federal Government
The EMR candidacy can count on the support of neighbouring North Rhine-Westphalia: the government of this German state in Düsseldorf has announced its intention to make a “substantial” contribution to the Einstein Telescope in the border region between Aachen, Liège and Maastricht. However, this is conditional on the German Federal Government in Berlin doing the same.
In July, Chancellor Merz’s new Federal Government placed the Einstein Telescope on the German list of scientific infrastructure that deserves priority. A choice between the Euregio Meuse-Rhine or Saxony has not yet been made.
Opportunity for regional development
The Einstein Telescope Organisation (ETO), the organisation that coordinates and manages the processes at European level, considers it a good thing that there are “three serious candidates” competing. ETO Director Andreas Freise said: ‘It is very encouraging to see that three regions consider hosting the Einstein Telescope an interesting opportunity. And not only for science, but also for regional and national development.’
