“Flemish support for Einstein Telescope good news for Limburg’s economy”

Tom Vandeput, chairman of POM Limburg and deputy for economy of the Province of Limburg, responds enthusiastically to the decision of the Flemish government to allocate an additional 300 million euros for the Einstein Telescope. With this, the Flemish contribution rises to half a billion euros, and the candidacy of the Meuse-Rhine region is stronger than ever.

“The decision of the Flemish government to invest another 300 million euros in the Einstein Telescope is an important signal,” says Tom Vandeput, deputy for Economy and chairman of POM Limburg. “This support strengthens our candidacy and underlines how important this project is for our region and for Flanders. The Einstein Telescope will create thousands of high-quality jobs. It opens doors for unique innovations in domains such as high-tech, space travel, medical applications, but also in optics, sensors, and data processing.”

“The Einstein Telescope is much more than a telescope,” Vandeput emphasizes. “It is a driver of prosperity, innovation, and knowledge. The project makes Flanders economically more resilient and technologically stronger in an international context. As POM Limburg, we take our responsibility to connect, guide, and prepare Limburg, Flemish, and Euregional companies for this international story.”

A second CERN for Europe
The Einstein Telescope is often compared to CERN in Geneva, where a scientific facility grew into a cluster of innovation and business activity. For Limburg, this could be the same lever. The observatory requires groundbreaking technology while simultaneously delivering scientific breakthroughs: the telescope will detect gravitational waves and teach us more about the origin and evolution of the universe. What is being developed today for the telescope can tomorrow flow into sectors such as energy and medical imaging.