Einstein Telescope: ET-COMPASS gets the green light from the European Commission

3D rendering of the Einstein Telescope: the underground facility for the future gravitational-wave detector, featuring its giant cryostats and interferometer arms.
Services/Groupes
Communication
Techniques Expérimentales
Cosmologie
Gravitation
Objet de la publication
Faits marquants projets

On May 1, 2026, the European Commission approved ET-COMPASS, a Horizon Europe project with a budget of €1.5 million to support the Einstein Telescope as it moves into its implementation phase. Astrocent, a partner of the APC Laboratory, will lead the project’s international strategic communications.

Einstein Telescope: The future giant of gravitational-wave astronomy

The Einstein Telescope Observatory (ETO) is a third-generation underground observatory project designed to detect gravitational waves with unprecedented sensitivity. It will enable us to explore the early Universe, investigate the nature of neutron stars and black holes, and open a new era for multi-messenger astronomy.

3D rendering of Einstein Telescope: close-up view of an underground tunnel showing the interferometer arms (red and blue tubes) and cryogenic equipment (blue cylinders) at the center. Human figures show the monumental scale of this gravitational wave detection infrastructure. Credit: Marco Kraan/Nikhef.

Astrocent leads strategic communications

As part of ET-COMPASS (an acronym for COordination, Management, Planning, and Strategic Support) our partner Astrocent will lead strategic communication activities with the goal of enhancing the international visibility of ETO and expanding the network of partners involved. The project will begin in early 2027 and run for two years.

The consortium brings together nine research institutes from nine countries: INFN (Italy, coordinator), Nikhef (Netherlands), KU Leuven (Belgium), Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), IFAE (Spain), AstroCent (Poland), University of Glasgow (United Kingdom), Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik (Germany), and the Université de Rijeka (Croatia). Their mission is to develop organizational frameworks and cost methodologies, and to strengthen the operational capabilities of the Einstein Telescope.

Their mission: to develop organizational frameworks and cost methodologies, and to strengthen the operational capabilities of the Einstein Telescope Organization.

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