EGO, the European Gravitational Observatory, located in the countryside near Pisa in the Commune of Cascina, is a consortium that gathers “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” (CNRS), a French public, scientific and technological institution, the Italian “Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare” (INFN) and the NIKHEF Laboratory (The Netherlands).

The Consortium has as its purpose the promotion of research in the field of gravitation in Europe. In this context, and in particular, the Consortium pursues the following objectives:

• ensures the functioning of the VIRGO antenna, its maintenance, its operation and the improvements to be made;
• ensures the maintenance of the related infrastructures, including a computer centre and promotes an open co-operation in R&D;
• ensures the maintenance of the site;
• carries out any other research in the field of gravitation of common interest for the Members;
• promotes the co-operation in the field of the experimental and theoretical gravitational waves research in Europe;
• promotes contacts among scientists and engineers, the dissemination of information and the provision of advanced training for young researchers.

The scientific responsibility of the Virgo detector is assumed by the Virgo collaboration.