The Flemish government is releasing an extra 2 million euros to set up a project team to conduct research linked to the project. Earlier 6 million euros of Flemish cash from the Scientific Research Fund was earmarked for the Einstein Telescope.
The Einstein Telescope is an ambitious scientific project. The Euregio Maas & Rhine area, where Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany meet, is battling to see off competition from Sardinia (Italy), the only other region still in the running to accommodate the project.
If Euregio lands the project, it may partly be built in Voeren (Limburg). The Einstein Telescope will be constructed underground in order to carry out research on gravity and the universe. “A futuristic proposition” says Prof Thomas Hertog of Leuven University but adds: “In 1915 Einstein’s Theory of Relativity also seemed pretty futuristic. Today this theory is employed in every car’s GPS system. The inventor of electricity also thought his invention would never be applied. The Einstein Telescope is an investment for the long-term”.
Flemish innovation minister Jo Brouns (Christian democrat) believes Flanders should be ambitious and seize the opportunity to build world famous scientific infrastructure here: “Today we cannot imagine the discoveries that the Einstein telescope will realise”.
Building the telescope will cost around 1.7 billion euros, but for every euro invested a further 3.6 euros should be returned to the local economy. A decision on where the telescope will be constructed is expected by 2026.