A Task Force from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands will combine all current and future information from involved authorities to work on a strong, joint candidacy for the Einstein Telescope from the three countries.
This Task Force will also map out which steps still need to be taken to submit the candidacy of the border region in a final project proposal (bid book) in 2025.
This was agreed upon by ministers, administrators, top officials and scientists from the three countries during a roundtable discussion on Dec. 13 in Bonn, Germany. This marks an important step in cross-border cooperation toward a strong bidbook.
At the table were German NRW Minister Nathanael Liminiski of European Affairs, Dutch Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture and Science) and from Dutch Limburg Governor Emile Roemer and Deputy Stephan Satijn (Economy, Innovation), among others. Also present were administrators and representatives from (federal) Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Flanders, the chief of cabinet of Walloon Minister Borsus, Prime Minister Oliver Paasch of the German-speaking community in Belgium, State Secretary Thomas Dermine (federal government Belgium) and the Benelux.
They were updated on the opportunities and on the state of the art in the scientific field by Professor Stan Bentvelsen, director of Nikhef, Professor Achim Stahl of RWTH Aachen and Han Dols of CERN. In the scientific field, cooperation has been ongoing for some time on preparations for an Einstein Telescope by Nikhef and the universities of Maastricht, RWTH Aachen, Liège, Hasselt and Leuven, among others.
Belgium, the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia have long supported joint projects to prepare the Einstein Telescope. These include the ETpathfinder, an R&D laboratory for the Einstein Telescope, the E-TEST project, which involves geological studies to determine the location of the Einstein Telescope in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, and ET2SMEs, which aims to promote high-tech companies.
An important step, said Nikhef director Stan Bentvelsen: “We are used to science not caring much about borders, but it is good to see that governments in the three countries are also aligning their clocks at various levels across borders and coordinating steps. This Task Force is an important driving force for the realization of the Einstein Telescope in this area.”
(Source: Einsteintelescope.nl)