Tom: “The market for gravitational-wave detectors is limited, which is why we ensure that innovation projects also have a broader business case. Improved products and services open up international markets in, for example, semiconductors, machine building and automotive. So the efforts are never in vain.”
Nadia: “And don’t forget: Limburg companies can also supply the site in Sardinia.”
Back to the overview
“The Einstein Telescope is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Limburg”
27.11.2025
The Einstein Telescope – a next-generation underground gravitational-wave detector – is the prime candidate to be established in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion. Will it be Limburg, Sardinia or Saxony? The decision will be made in mid-2027, but preparations are already well underway. Voka – KvK Limburg spoke with Provincial Deputy Tom Vandeput, who is leading the project from POM Limburg, and with Nadia Jansen, CEO of Group Jansen, one of the companies already standing ready.
Double interview with Tom Vandeput (Provincial Deputy for Economy and Chairman of POM Limburg) and Nadia Jansen (CEO of Group Jansen)
Why are companies such as Group Jansen looking forward to this so much?
Nadia Jansen: “The Einstein Telescope fires the imagination. World-class science, right here in our region! We feel at home in that level of complexity: projects that set the bar high, where precision and innovation are crucial. An Einstein Telescope in our own backyard is a tremendous opportunity for our core activities.”
How many Limburg companies are already involved today?
Tom Vandeput: “Thanks to the pioneering role of POM Limburg over the past five years, nearly 200 Limburg companies are well informed, and around twenty are already actively involved in the preparatory phase. We now want to translate that success to the Flemish level through a partnership with the Research Foundation – Flanders, so that companies from other provinces can also come on board.”
“Companies, knowledge institutions and government must do this together and dare to dream big.”
Or are too many companies still waiting on the sidelines?
Nadia: “That’s something you often see: companies only want to step in once the procurement procedures become concrete. But those who are smart are already building capacity and knowledge now. Collaborating with other companies and knowledge institutions will make you stronger and more competitive later on in the tendering phase.”
Tom: “Exactly. That’s also how you attract highly skilled talent and explore new products, services and markets. Preparation always pays off.”
What new opportunities have emerged since last year?
Tom: “We launched the Interreg Flanders–Netherlands project ETpathfinder Smart Skills Lab. It develops tailor-made training programmes for entrepreneurs focused on the technological challenges of the Einstein Telescope. In addition, we have identified seven technological domains in which Flanders can excel: optics, vibration damping, vacuum technology, sensors & electronics, future-proof construction, digital technology & automation, and computational & data analysis. Around these domains we organise deep-dive sessions to connect innovative entrepreneurs with Flemish researchers.”
What does such a project mean for innovation and employment at Group Jansen?
And if the choice ultimately falls on Sardinia or Saxony?
Suppose a business leader reads this article and gets a Newtonian apple on his head. Where can he turn?
Tom: “Within POM Limburg, several staff members are actively working to connect companies from Limburg and Flanders with the Einstein Telescope. They can turn to them with concrete questions and to be linked to the extensive ecosystem in the Meuse-Rhine region, which already includes more than 500 organisations.”
