Dear all, The German federal ministry for research BMFTR has awarded €29M to six joint Einstein Telescope (ET) R&D projects under the new ET-Vorprogramm (2026–2029), strengthening instrument and hardware development. Following strong engagement with governmental representatives, the funding will expand German ET activities, create dozens of research positions (announced via a new job portal), and showcase Germany’s leading ET contributions.  I would like to provide you with some information about recent developments in R&D funding for ET in Germany. Early in 2026 BMFTR released a call for applications for a so-called preparatory program (Vorbereitungsprogramm, ET-VorPro) to fund activities preparing the German community for the realization of ET by extending research…

29.07.2026 The ET Collaboration is implementing several organizational developments to support its continued growth. Key initiatives include the introduction of Core and Community membership, new coordination structures for AI, multi-messenger science, and R&D, as well as updated governance documents. Together, these changes will strengthen coordination, recognize contributions, and prepare the Collaboration for the next phase of the Einstein Telescope. As the ET Collaboration continues to grow, structures and processes to better support ET´s scientific goals are being adapted. Following an evaluation of the current organisation, several important changes are now being implemented. As the Spokesperson and Deputy Spokesperson stated in their presentation at the recent Monthly Meeting, the guiding principles…

After three years in office, Michèle Heurs hands over her role as German Representative in the ET Forum of National Representatives to Oliver Gerberding. Oliver was unanimously appointed to this role by the German Research Unit leaders. Formally, the National Representative (NR) has two mandates: Michèle convened the first meeting of the German Coordination Group (consisting of the German RU leaders and representatives from involved organisations) in January 2024. Since then, the team has achieved a great deal together. „The past three years have been intense, exciting and very successful. I am very pleased with what we have accomplished in ET Germany in my role as FNR, and happy to…

Our international Collaboration continues to grow steadily. We are now more than 2,000 members from 291 institutions across 34 countries. This broad community is one of our greatest assets as we move into the next decisive phase of the project. This year, a transition in leadership is approaching. After many years of service in building and shaping both the project and the Collaboration, Michele Punturo and I will hand over responsibilities to a new team. Our mandate concluded on 22 March 2026, and the new team took over: Michele Maggiore and Angelique Lartaux. Their election statement is available on the ET Wiki (https://wiki.et-gw.eu/CB/ElectionSPDSP2026), and they also presented their vision for the future of ET at…

Dear Members of ET Germany, Over the past months, several important developments have taken place. I am pleased to share a brief overview of significant milestones. Germany Joins the Board of Governmental Representatives Germany is now officially a member of the Einstein Telescope’s Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR). The BGR brings together national representatives — typically from the relevant ministries — of the countries supporting the Einstein Telescope and serves as the central decision-making body for the project. Until recently, Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were members, while Austria and Germany held observer status. Germany’s formal admission to the BGR marks an important step…

18.03.2026 The Einstein Telescope Collaboration has appointed a new spokesperson team, Prof Michele Maggiore and Dr Angélique Lartaux, effective 23 March 2026. They succeed the outgoing team, Michele Punturo and Harald Lück, who have laid the foundations for Europe’s next-generation gravitational-wave observatory. The transition comes at a pivotal stage as the project moves closer to realisation. The international Einstein Telescope (ET) Collaboration today announces a change in its scientific leadership, as a new spokesperson team takes office on 23 March 2026. Professor Michele Maggiore and Dr Angélique Lartaux will serve jointly as spokesperson and deputy spokesperson, succeeding Michele Punturo and Harald Lück. Together, the new team will guide the collaboration…

18.03.2026 The Scientific Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome hosted the conference “Gravitational Waves and Detection Technologies” on 16–17 March. The event brought together researchers from Poland, Italy, France, and Spain. The programme focused on the scientific objectives and technological advancements related to the Virgo detector and the Einstein Telescope (ET). A round-table discussion on the second day gathered representatives of the Italian, Polish, and Spanish gravitational wave communities, alongside delegates from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Italy. Participants emphasized the critical role of international collaboration in advancing the Einstein Telescope project and highlighted the importance of engaging early-career researchers.

20.01.2026 The new research facility will enable innovative experiments in gravitational physics and serve as a platform for global scientific collaboration. Construction of the Hamburg Fundamental Interactions Laboratory (HAFUN) officially began with a ceremonial first groundbreaking. Once completed, the new facility will bring together around 200 researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe, the Department of Physics and the MIN Faculty at the University of Hamburg. They will use cutting-edge infrastructure to explore fundamental questions in particle physics and cosmology. „With HAFUN we are creating ideal laboratories for fundamental research. Special labs for experimental gravitational wave detection on ground and in space are one of the highlights. We will…

27.11.2025 Members of the Einstein Telescope (ET) Collaboration and the IceCube Gen2 project jointly presented an exhibition at Quantum100 in Münster, the concluding event of the Quantum Year 2025. The exhibition attracted considerable interest from visitors and offered a lively platform for engaging with cutting-edge research in astrophysics and quantum science. The booth showcased both research initiatives through illuminated displays, informative banners, and a wide range of hands-on exhibits, encouraging active exchange between scientists and the wider scientific community. Quantum100, the concluding event of the Quantum Year 2025, took place on Saturday, 15 November 2025, at the Münsterlandhalle in Münster, Germany. The project was supported by RWTH Aachen, DESY, the Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik, the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology/KCETA, the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational…

09.07.2025 The preparatory phase of the Einstein Telescope (ET) project has been selected as one of the most promising outcomes of Germany’s national prioritisation process for large-scale research infrastructures. Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär, together with the Science Council and representatives of the evaluation committees, has presented the shortlist of the most promising projects from the national prioritisation process for large-scale research infrastructures. The preparatory phase for ET is one of the nine selected projects with correspondingly high international relevance. Federal Research Minister Bär said: „With bold investments in research and innovation, we are laying the foundation for remaining internationally competitive in the future. Research infrastructures play a key role…