A great opportunity for the region
The Einstein Telescope will greatly boost its surrounding area. The established scientific institutions in the region offer a natural base for the leading researchers using the facility. The business community and the regional economy will benefit from its construction and from activities related to it. This is why scientists, business and governments are jointly exploring the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion’s candidacy to host the telescope.
Contracts for industry
The Einstein Telescope is to be the most sensitive gravitational-wave observatory ever. Achieving this requires new techniques for the coating and totally noise-free suspension of the mirrors in its detector tunnels, as well as development of the world’s largest vacuum installation. Active control will enable even greater precision. The Einstein Telescope thus promises a range of challenging assignments for high-tech companies. In fulfilling these development and construction contracts, they will also acquire the know-how needed to qualify for comparable tasks in other industries and can develop innovative spin-off technologies.
Scientific hub
The Einstein Telescope is set to become a global hub for research into gravitational waves. Scientific institutions in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion are already profiling themselves in this field, as a natural base for the international gravitational-wave experts and the highly qualified technicians planning to use the facility. That will create a unique concentration of scientists in this ground-breaking new area of research.
Economic boost
The construction and operation of the Einstein Telescope will represent a huge stimulus for the regional economy. According to an impact assessment published in 2018, the facility is expected to create about 500 full-time equivalent jobs directly, and another 1,150 indirectly. And this is on top of the value of the knowledge and skills acquired by participating companies, and of any spin-off technologies they develop as a result. A valuable boost for the regional and national economy.
Impact assessment
The Technolopis Group has investigated all the ramifications of the Einstein Telescope and produced a comprehensive impact assessment. They looked at different scenarios, ranging from not investing in the facility at all to basing it in the Eindhoven-Louvain-Aachen region. The study shows that hosting the project is likely to have a positive effect on both the region’s scientific position and its economy. Investing in the ETpathfinder R&D facility will also strengthen co-operation between science and industry, with benefits of its own even if the Einstein Telescope itself does not come to the region.