The Einstein Telescope (ET) project and the Sos Enattos candidacy will take center stage at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2025 — currently underway in Osaka, Japan — during the week dedicated to the Sardinia Region, scheduled from June 22 to 28.
The events focused on ET will take place primarily between Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 26. The main event is the conference “A Territory of Science,” scheduled for June 25 at 3:30 PM local time (8:30 AM in Italy), at the Auditorium of the Italy Pavilion.
The first part of the conference will present the Einstein Telescope project and Italy’s candidacy to host the future European gravitational wave observatory, with a focus on research collaborations between Sardinia, Italy, and Japan. The second part will highlight ongoing activities at the candidate site of Sos Enattos in the Nuoro area, along with other leading research initiatives in Sardinia, such as ARIA (focused on dark matter research) and the Sardinia Radio Telescope (one of the most important radio telescopes in Europe).
The event, organized by the Sardinia Region in collaboration with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), will feature contributions from Michele Punturo (INFN), coordinator of the Einstein Telescope scientific collaboration; Monique Bossi (INFN), infrastructure manager of the NRRP ETIC project; Takayuki Tomaru, Director of the Gravitational Wave Science Project; Alessandro Cardini, Director of the INFN Cagliari section; Federica Govoni, Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Cagliari (INAF); Andrea Contu (INFN), Scientific Coordinator of ET Sardinia; and Alberto Masoni (INFN). A recorded speech by Nobel Laureate in Physics Arthur McDonald, who is deeply involved in the ARIA project, will also be presented.
On Thursday, June 26 at 10:00 AM local time, the VIP Room of the Italy Pavilion will host a more scientifically focused conference titled “Italy and Japan in the Worldwide Gravitational Wave Network LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA and Einstein Telescope”. This meeting will delve into the current and future challenges in gravitational wave research and the synergies between Italy and Japan. Nobel Laureate Takaaki Kajita will take part, along with contributions from Takayuki Tomaru, Michele Punturo, and Helios Vocca (INFN Perugia).
In the afternoon of June 26, the VIP Room will also host a meeting organized by the Sardinia Region in collaboration with the Ministry of Made in Italy (MiMIT), aimed particularly at Japanese companies potentially interested in investing in Sardinia. A key focus will be on the opportunities offered by the Einstein Telescope project, with speeches by Alessandro Cardini, Alberto Masoni, Takayuki Tomaru, and Michele Punturo.
Finally, on June 25 and 26, more informal presentations and discussions will take place at “Casa Sardegna”, a space managed by the Sardinia Region in downtown Osaka.