COMET: opportunities for SMEs throughout the Dutch-German border region
For small and medium-sized enterprises and knowledge institutions in the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Flevoland, Overijssel, Gelderland, North Brabant and Limburg, as well as in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, the Interreg programme COMET offers opportunities to collaborate on technologies for the construction of the Einstein Telescope planned in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
Innovation
COMET, which stands for “Comaking the Einstein Telescope”, can provide financial support to companies in finding suitable partners and opens doors to international markets. This concerns innovation projects in the field of vibration-free cooling, optics and data processing.
Six organisations on both sides of the border have joined forces for this purpose. Led by Oost NL, NMWP, LIOF, Emsland GmbH, TCNN and the TransferAgentur of Fachhochschule Münster are working together to stimulate technological innovation in the border region.
New applications
Over the coming years, the partners will organise workshops, matchmaking events and technological roadmaps to connect companies and knowledge institutions to innovation opportunities. This will create international consortia that jointly tackle technological challenges that are essential for the Einstein Telescope. As a result, the Dutch-German border region is developing into a breeding ground for technological innovation with a European appeal. The aim is not only to find solutions for the Einstein Telescope, but also to develop new products and applications for other sectors such as high-tech, energy and healthcare.
Future
The innovations resulting from COMET will strengthen regional innovation capacity and ensure that entrepreneurs are better positioned for future European high-tech projects. COMET will be prominently presented at the Space Tech Europe trade fair in Bremen (18-20 November 2025).
More information
For more information about the scheme, visit the Einstein Telescope for Business website. From 24 November, you will find current calls for proposals on the COMET website. In the run-up to the end of 2025, COMET will also organise information sessions and matchmaking events.
