Flanders allocates additional 300m euros for Einstein Telescope in new budget
In addition to multiple cuts, the Flemish government has also included additional investments in its new budget, amongst others an extra 300 million euros for the Einstein Telescope project. The Flemish contribution to the project thus increases to half a billion euros, Flemish minister president Matthias Diependaele announced on Monday afternoon during his September Declaration in the Flemish Parliament.
“We are committed to investing 500 million euros to bring one of the most ambitious scientific projects in the world to our region: the Einstein Telescope,” Diependaele said during his September Declaration. At the end of 2024, the Flemish government had already allocated 200 million euros to this project, to which 300 million euros is now added.
According to Diependaele, this is a crucial investment for the future. “This revolutionary telescope will attract high-tech companies and create thousands of jobs,” he said. “We will reap the benefits of this investment for generations to come.”
A decision on where to build the underground Einstein Telescope, which is set to become Europe’s most prestigious research observatory for gravitational waves, is expected in 2027. Belgium, the Netherlands and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia are preparing a joint bid with their border region, the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, as the proposed location. However, the Italian island of Sardinia and the German state of Saxony are also candidates.
Construction is estimated to cost between 2.2 and 2.9 billion euros, spread over nine years. However, a recent study has already calculated that this investment will certainly pay for itself. It is predicted that the project could generate between 500 million and 1.5 billion euros for Flanders, depending on the extent to which Flemish companies succeed in winning contracts.
Just three weeks ago, the Walloon government also allocated 200 million euros to the project. The Netherlands has also promised a budget of 870 million euros. North Rhine-Westphalia has currently only allocated about 8 million euros, but the German state is still waiting to see what the federal government will do. If it soon decides to support the Euregio Meuse-Rhine rather than Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia's contribution should increase proportionally.
This Monday afternoon, Flemish minister president Matthias Diependaele delivered his September Declaration to the Flemish Parliament. In this annual policy statement, the minister president outlines the government’s assessment of the region’s social and economic situation, sets out the main policy priorities for the coming year and presents the Flemish budget.
#FlandersNewsService | Former Flemish minister of innovation Jo Brouns (C) visits ETpathfinder R&D infrastructure in Maastricht, where a scale model of the Einstein Telescope is to be built, January 2024 © PHOTO MARCEL VAN HOORN / ANP / AFP
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