Einstein Telescope as a catalyst for Dutch deep tech

The Einstein Telescope (ET), planned deep beneath the rolling landscape of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, is designed to detect the faintest ripples in space-time: gravitational waves from colliding black holes and neutron stars. But before that happens, a small revolution is already taking place closer to home. It is not what the telescope will see in the future, but what it is already creating that makes it strategically important. ET is becoming a breeding ground for deep tech innovation, where science and industry come together and reinforce each other, and where Europe is reshaping its technological autonomy.

The ‘Valorisation Perspective’ published today by LIOF and the ET valorisation team refers to ET as ‘moonshot-level technology development’, echoing John F. Kennedy's words: We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard. The report shows how a European Big Science project is already creating economic and social value, from new value chains and high-quality employment to strategic autonomy for the Netherlands and Europe, while also promising a major scientific leap forward for gravitational wave astronomy.

Jorg van der Meij, Program Manager Valorization Einstein Telescope LIOF, sees two desired effects of the report. "First and foremost, I hope it will inspire other companies. They will also contact us based on the examples in the report. In addition, it must be clear that everything that is happening now does not happen on its own. You have to keep developing, stimulating, and keeping the business community enthusiastic. So this is also a signal to our stakeholders that we have already achieved quite a lot, but there is still room to continue working on this in the coming years. For example, together with parties from Germany and Belgium."

The requirements for the ET project are extreme: precision down to the picometer level, vibration-free cryogenic cooling, and vacuum technology cleaner than space itself. Such requirements drive breakthroughs with direct impact across sectors such as semiconductors, quantum technology, medical imaging, and space travel. Fundamental science drives industry forward.

Joost Smits, Executive Vice President at ASML: “At ASML, we must continue to innovate across our entire portfolio. This is only possible in a climate where collaboration and knowledge sharing are a given. That is why we support the arrival of the Einstein Telescope; it strengthens the ecosystem that enables our own innovation.”

The deep tech dividend

Deep tech already accounts for around six percent of the Dutch economy – together €49 billion in GDP and almost half a million jobs. But the focus is mainly on the semiconductor industry. The Einstein Telescope offers the opportunity to broaden that foundation.

Six consortia, ranging from cryogenic cooling to adaptive optics, bring together 26 companies and knowledge institutions, from TNO and VDL to startups such as Lionite and Onnes Technologies. Their work is already yielding its first successes:

• Demcon Kryoz, Cooll, and the University of Twente are building the first scalable, vibration-free cryogenic cooler, which is ten times quieter and four times faster than existing systems.
• Onnes Technologies is developing cryogenic vibration isolation that remains stable even at temperatures below 10 Kelvin. “It's technology that's not only essential for ET,” says CEO Max Kouwenhoven, “but also directly applicable in quantum and semiconductor research.”
• TNO's MEROPE consortium is working on deformable mirrors that correct distortions in real time: a fusion of mechatronics and artificial intelligence that could also transform AR/VR and medical imaging.

Learning from CERN

Large research facilities such as CERN and ESO have already proven that fundamental science can lead to enormous economic spin-offs, from the web to proton therapy. The difference with ET is that valorization is a conscious pillar here from the outset.

“Thanks to this grant, we can develop technology that goes beyond the state of the art,” says Jochem Klaassen, CEO of Lionite. “And that will undoubtedly find applications in other industries such as the semiconductor industry and precision manufacturing.”

The European context is crucial. Mario Draghi's report on European competitiveness warned that Europe is lagging behind in deep tech investments and is too dependent on a few global players. ET offers a contrasting perspective: it combines the strengths of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in a joint infrastructure and keeps knowledge and production in Europe.

“ET shows how Europe can develop key technologies without being dependent on suppliers outside the continent,” concludes the valorization report. The Netherlands has already invested €42 million in the preparation through the National Growth Fund and has reserved €870 million for the realization, a clear choice to link science to strategic autonomy.

From cryocooler to cleanroom

The impact of ET is therefore not limited to the underground tunnels that will one day be built under the Euregio. The technologies currently being developed, from ultra-high vacuum and vibration isolation to adaptive optics, fit seamlessly with the Netherlands' strengths in semiconductors, medtech, and precision mechatronics.

For example, the MACBETH consortium of TNO and VDL is preparing to build the world's largest ultra-high vacuum system: 120 kilometers of piping, clean to the molecular level. Innovations such as plasma cleaning and robot inspection will soon also be applicable in chip production, nuclear fusion, and Hyperloop.

“This is quite a challenge,” says Wouter Jonker, program manager at TNO, “but one with potential for spin-offs. Think of telescopes to see planets around other stars, or laser communication that can penetrate our atmosphere.”

The second wave

The final location decision, planned for 2027, will be an important moment, but insiders are looking further ahead. ET is not an end goal, but a starting point. The project will not only lead to new technology, but also to a generation of engineers who combine science and systems thinking, and to an ecosystem in which valorization is systematically built in.

“The biggest risk,” says Dennis Schipper, CEO at Demcon, “is not failing science, but that we don't sufficiently capitalize on the technological and economic spin-offs. If we organize valorization well, that risk becomes an advantage.”

An investment with a future

The Einstein Telescope will have a lifespan of at least fifty years. During that time, the observatory will radically change our understanding of the universe – but its impact on Earth will be just as significant.

The Netherlands has often shown that such moonshots pay off: the Delta Works made us a world leader in hydraulic engineering, and ASML's EUV technology changed the chip industry. ET aims to do the same for deep tech. A project that starts with gravitational waves but ends up as a flywheel for a generation of innovators.