Einstein Telescope Marco Kraan Nikhef.jpg

Smart solutions for the technological challenges surrounding the Einstein Telescope

About COMET

<h2>About COMET</h2><p>The Einstein Telescope requires technologies that do not yet exist anywhere in the world. This includes vibration-free cooling, ultra-precision optics, seismic isolation and advanced data processing. Many of these ET challenges are still at TRL 1–3, while industry and science require solutions at TRL 4–6 or even TRL 7. COMET connects SMEs and knowledge institutions from the German–Dutch border region in strong international consortia. Together, they develop smart technological solutions for the challenges surrounding the Einstein Telescope (ET), from design to testing and real-world implementation.</p><h2>What COMET delivers</h2><p>The project will generate at least 12 sub-projects in which SMEs and knowledge partners develop concrete solutions for ET-related technological challenges. COMET builds on the successful ET2SMEs project, which delivered 11 ET innovations from consortia of SMEs and knowledge institutions from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.</p><h2>Added value of COMET</h2><h3>1. Positioning SMEs as future ET suppliers</h3><p>By working on ET technologies now, SMEs will be well positioned when construction of the Einstein Telescope begins. Innovations developed within COMET help companies secure a strong role in the future value chain.</p><h3>2. New market opportunities beyond the ET context</h3><p>Like previous European megaprojects &nbsp;such as CERN and ESA, the Einstein Telescope demands entirely new solutions: from vibration-free cooling and advanced data processing to a vacuum network spanning more than one hundred kilometres. Solutions developed within COMET often have broader applications than just the Einstein Telescope. ET is expected to generate new products for everyday life, similar to the technological breakthroughs seen from the Apollo projects in the US or CERN in Europe. Examples from these previous projects include the insulin pump and memory foam.</p><h3>3. A catalyst for international collaboration and growth</h3><p>COMET acts as a catalyst for innovation and economic development in the border region. Companies gain direct access to frontrunners, facilitators, investors and future operators — supported through COMET workshops throughout the project period.</p><h2>COMET in relation to ET Netherlands</h2><p>COMET is an extension of ET Netherlands, an initiative of the Dutch National Growth Fund. While ET Netherlands focuses on site feasibility and primarily collaborates with larger Dutch companies, COMET specifically targets:</p><ul><li>SMEs</li><li>cross-border collaboration between the Netherlands and Germany</li><li>technologies that are also applicable beyond ET</li></ul><p>In this way, COMET strengthens preparations for a potential Einstein Telescope in the border region, while also contributing to long-term innovation capacity for the region as a whole.</p><p><i>COMET is being implemented within the framework of the Interreg VI-program Deutschland-Nederland and is co-financed by the European Union, the MWIKE NRW, the Niedersächsische Staatskanzlei, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the provinces of Groningen, Fryslân, Drenthe, Flevoland, Overijssel, Gelderland, North Brabant and Limburg.</i></p>