Heino Falcke is the German professor from Radboud University who became world news in 2019 when his research group was the first to publish a picture of a black hole. He is full of plans and hopes for new breakthroughs that will amaze both the scientific world and the general public. Thanks to a multi-million dollar investment by Radboud University in late November, that ambition is once again achievable.
As much as €11.9 million. This is the amount that the Radboud University's Executive Board will make available for Heino Falcke's research group in the coming years. The money, a guarantee, is divided into 1 million euros per year, for ten years, for the international network Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), plus another just under 2 million for the construction of a major telescope in Namibia.
Critical phase
A few weeks after that announcement, Falcke is still very happy. "It gives us new perspective, a new direction," he says. But relieved is perhaps a better word than happy, because actually the amount was much needed. "Without funding, we were at a very critical stage. We were successful and should now reap the benefits." But that was difficult because of lack of funds. "With EHT, we twice submitted a proposal to the NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, ed.) that was rejected in the first round, even before we had submitted a full proposal," he says.
Colleagues in the US, among others, did bring in many millions, which threatened to put Nijmegen behind. Talented Nijmegen students from Falcke's team left for other countries. "I am very proud of that, but you then want to see others come to your team at the same time. We couldn't manage that. Our research has been a great success for the university so far, it's created a lot of visibility. We shouldn't let that slip through our fingers. That is why I am very happy that the university has taken the lead, so that we can continue and there is stability. Besides, it is an important signal that the university believes in us. This investment therefore offers plenty of opportunities to bring in funding from others."
Of course, the large sum comes with conditions. "After one to two years, there is a 'critical design review' and we have to show that our plans are feasible and that we have secured funding. After five years, there is another review." Jokingly, he says: "If I have left for the Caribbean Islands by then, of course the funding will stop. But I don't plan to do that."
Short films
The money provides new perspective. Perhaps Falcke and his team will become world news again, as they did in 2019. "We published some smaller things last year and are now working very hard on larger publications. There could definitely be exciting things among those." Not only for the scientific community, but also for the wider public. "One of the goals of the telescope in Namibia is that we can use it to make not only pictures, but also movies of black holes. In addition, we are starting to understand better and better what happens inside black holes. My colleague Monika Moscibrodzka is involved in making realistic simulations using supercomputers. Based on these, we see in detail what happens there. We then actually dive into the black hole."
Falcke likes to connect with people outside the scientific world. For instance, he regularly enthuses them with his presentations, such as at a major event of The Economic Board two years ago. He also wrote a book for the general public: 'Light in the darkness - Black holes, the universe and us'. He also answers many questions. "I even get letters or messages from young children, most recently from a nine-year-old girl who said she had already read the book twice. It's a subject that raises a lot of questions." He wants people to get the best possible picture of black holes. "In the big Hollywood film Interstellar, a black hole appears. That was a nice effort visually, but it could be a lot better. Next time they may call us, so we can provide them with better models," he says with a wink. "We are also collaborating on exhibitions, including one that will be at Het Valkhof in a few years' time, and also on a Planetarium film. We want to make black holes more tangible for the general public, although of course 'tangible' is a crazy word when it comes to black holes."
Opportunities for companies
Another ambition of his is to build a bridge with the business community. "We have a very different network than many companies themselves. With our Radboud Radio Lab led by Marc Klein Wolt, we work with top institutes around the world, but also with all kinds of involved companies and governments in other countries. We are working on many different questions, from data storage to the use of hydrogen and solar energy. For instance, there are many opportunities in Namibia; a lot is happening in that country. Tapping into that is definitely interesting for regional companies."