Einstein Telescope: 15 million from the Ministry of Research and Education for research into innovative technologies

To develop new enabling technologies and strengthen a network of research laboratories for the Einstein Telescope (ET), the future gravitational-wave observatory that Italia has put itself forward to host at the former Sos Enattos mine in Sardinia. These are the main objectives of the Miti (Multimessenger Infrastructures and Technologies in Italy) project, funded with approximately 15 million euros by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) as part of the National Programme for Research, Innovation and Competitiveness (PN Ric) 2021–2027.

The funding will be allocated specifically to six branches of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN): Perugia (lead organisation), Cagliari, Rome, Naples, Genoa and the National Laboratories of the South. Miti, which will officially launch on 1 August, effectively takes over from the previous Etic (Einstein Telescope Infrastructure Consortium) project, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and is expected to run for 30 months. Specifically, Miti aims to develop some of the enabling technologies for the Einstein Telescope. This will be achieved through a two-pronged approach: the first involves upgrading the Planet laboratories in Naples and the Etico2 laboratories in Cagliari, established as part of the Etic project, which focus on developing new technologies for filtering seismic noise in the ET, creating ‘compressed’ light states to improve quantum noise, and developing opto-electronic devices. The Caos (Perugia), Galileo (Genoa) and Arc-Etcryo (Rome) laboratories will also participate in these activities.

The INFN’s Southern National Laboratories, on the other hand, will serve as a key centre of expertise in the field of civil engineering for research infrastructure. The second initiative, meanwhile, involves engaging the Italian industrial sector in the development of new ET technologies, through mentoring programmes and initiatives that will culminate in the establishment of an ET technology transfer centre at the SUnLab (Sardinia Underground Laboratory) in Sardinia.