Embassy in Paris Hosts Meeting on Sardinia’s Bid for the Einstein Telescope

Embassy in Paris Hosts Meeting on Sardinia’s Bid for the Einstein Telescope

(ANSA) - PARIGI, 30 SET - The Italian Embassy in Paris hosted the conference “Listening to the Universe – Making the Invisible Visible: Gravitational Waves as the ‘Sound of the Universe’. Sardinia at the Center of the New Scientific Frontier,” dedicated to the Einstein Telescope (ET) and Italy’s bid to host the future major European infrastructure for the study of gravitational waves at the Sos Enattos site in Sardinia. The Einstein Telescope represents one of the most ambitious new-generation European research infrastructures and is part of a field in which Italy and France boast a long and prestigious tradition of scientific collaboration. The Virgo project, born out of cooperation between Italy’s INFN and France’s CNRS and developed within the framework of the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in Cascina, stands as one of the most significant examples of the two countries’ ability to jointly build major scientific projects that have subsequently become part of Europe’s research heritage. Following opening remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Ludovico Serra, Alessandra Todde, President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, opened the proceedings by outlining the strategic value of Sardinia’s bid and the region’s commitment to supporting the project. “As a region, we have invested 350 million euros in its construction, in addition to the 950 million from the national government,” stated President Todde, who also emphasized the importance of collaboration with Paris: “France is a strategic partner. The VIRGO collaboration demonstrates that together we can build major scientific infrastructure. I hope there will be political support for the ‘double-L’ solution as strong as that already expressed by the scientific community, so that we can achieve a genuine sharing of expertise and responsibility among member countries.” This was followed by remarks from Panebianco, the French delegate from the Ministry of Education, Research, and Space, who provided an overview of the Franco-Italian collaboration on major research infrastructure. The scientific aspect of the meeting was led by some of the leading Italian and French researchers in the field of gravitational waves. Fulvio Ricci, from Sapienza University of Rome and former spokesperson for Virgo, traced the history of the Italian-French collaboration on Virgo; Michele Punturo, of the INFN and European coordinator of the Einstein Telescope project, presented the prospects for the future infrastructure; Marica Branchesi, of the Gran Sasso Science Institute, spoke about the scientific value of the new generation of gravitational-wave observatories. Marie Anne Bizouard, Virgo’s spokesperson, traced the common thread linking Virgo to ET, and Patrice Verdier, the French principal investigator for ET, illustrated aspects related to France’s contribution to the technological development of ET. The meeting highlighted how the Sos Enattos bid fits not only within the framework of Italian scientific excellence but also within the broader context of European cooperation. Large-scale research infrastructures are, in fact, essential tools for strengthening Europe’s scientific and technological capabilities, attracting talent, and creating international networks of knowledge and innovation. The conference is part of the Italian Embassy in Paris’s activities aimed at promoting scientific diplomacy and fostering collaboration between Italy and France in the fields of research, innovation, and major scientific infrastructures. Read article...