It was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on bando di gara A call for proposals for companies to build the "ET-SUnLab" (Einstein Telescope Sardinia Underground Laboratory) research center, which will be built on the site of the Sos Enattos mine (in Lula, Nuoro), a candidate for the Einstein Telescope (ET) gravitational wave observatory. The project is funded with approximately €10 million by the Sardinia Region, with the same amount divided between the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Last December 15, a free concession agreement was signed in Cagliari for the INFN, INAF, and INGV to use the 13000-square-meter area designated for the construction of SUnLab, owned by IGEA spa.
“Let's move from words to action,” comments the President of the Region, Alessandra Todd"The creation of the ET-SUnLab research center, like the recent announcement of the opening of an INGV office in Nuoro, demonstrates how even the mere fact of being a candidate to host the Einstein Telescope has a direct impact on our communities. The center, which will be established and operate regardless of the outcome of the assignment, will attract dozens of scholars to settle in the area, with positive impacts on the local economy and development."
“The SUnLab project represents the first concrete step towards the future Einstein Telescope gravitational wave observatory, which will bring to the candidate site of Sos Enattos, in Sardinia, a multidisciplinary centre open to research institutions and universities”, underlines the president of the INFN, Anthony Clogs"It will be a unique place for developing and testing the cutting-edge technologies needed for ET, capable of attracting young researchers, creating a new high-level scientific community. SUnLab will also be a space for participation and discussion between the scientific community, the business world, and civil society, with the aim of fostering dialogue with the local community, essential on the path to the Einstein Telescope."
“INAF is also participating in the construction of the laboratory for the development of technologies aimed at the construction and exploitation of the Einstein Telescope”, declares the president of INAF Roberto Ragazzoni. "To our deep-rooted presence in the region with our important branch that manages the Sardinia Radio Telescope—the 64-meter radio telescope (San Basilio, Cagliari)—we bring to SUnLab two of the best technologies developed by INAF and recognized worldwide: the control of "smart" mirrors and the development of a prototype of the MezzoCielo very wide-field telescope. With the first, after eliminating atmospheric turbulence in traditional telescopes, we will improve the sensitivity of the interferometers used in the Einstein Telescope; with the second, we intend to build a generation of instruments capable of observing the optical counterparts of gravitational waves in real time, a new chapter in the era of multimessenger astronomy."
“ET-SUnLab will be a point of reference for Earth Sciences and geophysical monitoring”, declares the president of INGV, Fabio Florindo"The infrastructure will allow us to deepen our understanding of the planet's deep structure, geodynamic processes, and local seismic noise, taking advantage of a site with unique geophysical characteristics. For the INGV, SUnLab represents an opportunity to integrate observations and advanced technologies, contributing to national and European scientific research and supporting the Italian candidacy of the Einstein Telescope."
The project involves the construction of a reception center and new research laboratories in the area occupied by the former RI.MI.SA. building, currently home to the SAR-GRAV laboratory, and the construction of a multidisciplinary underground laboratory. SUnLab, in which the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari will also collaborate, will host research and development for ET and low-noise physics experiments, as well as a geophysical observatory for the study of Earth's internal structures and a large-aperture ground-based telescope called "MezzoCielo." The facility will also become a reference center for outreach projects aimed at schools and professional training. The architectural and landscape design was developed by a working group from the AT Lab of the Department of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Architecture (DICAAR) of the University of Cagliari, coordinated by Professor Massimo Faiferri.
The tender deadline is April 16, 2026. Construction work is scheduled to begin in early summer 2026, with completion expected by the end of 2027.
