ET-SUnLab: signed the concession of the Sos Enattos area to INFN, INAF and INGV

On Monday 15 December 2025, a concession was signed in Cagliari granting free use to INFN, the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) of an area of approximately 13,000 square metres, owned by IGEA, at the Sos Enattos mining site in Lula (NU). This represents a fundamental step towards the start of construction of the ET-SUnLab research centre (Einstein Telescope Sardinia Underground Laboratory), which will be built in the Sos Enattos area, a candidate site to host the future Einstein Telescope gravitational-wave observatory.

Thanks to this agreement, IGEA, the in-house company of Sardinia Region that manages the mining areas of Sardinia and is responsible for their safety and remediation, grants the three research bodies the part of the Sos Enattos mining complex known as “ex Rimisa”, consisting of the Rimisa warehouse, currently home to the SAR-GRAV laboratory, and the associated areas, including the entire forecourt in front of the building and the portion of land on the hill above, required for the construction of a small astronomical observatory. The concession is motivated by the construction, operation and maintenance of ET-SUnLab, a multidisciplinary infrastructure for research, communication, training and engagement with the local area.

Specifically, the ET-SUnLab project, whose architectural and landscape design was developed by a working group from the AT Lab of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering of the University of Cagliari, envisages the creation of a reception centre and new research laboratories in the area occupied by the former Rimisa building, together with the construction of a multidisciplinary underground laboratory. SUnLab will host research and development activities for the Einstein Telescope and low-noise physics experiments, as well as a geophysical observatory and a large-aperture ground-based telescope called “MezzoCielo”. The facility will also serve as a reference centre for projects aimed at disseminating scientific culture to schools and for professional training. The project, whose activities will also involve the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari, is funded with approximately ten million euros from the Sardinia Region and the same amount from INFN, INAF and INGV. Construction work will begin in 2026 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027.