Questions about the true nature and origin of our universe are among humanity's oldest questions of being. The big bang is a concept that almost everyone knows and that fascinates people, but is not understood even by experts. Did that very hot initial state of the universe really originate from nothing? And what was there before that, or is that not even a good question? And where is the universe going? Right now, we see the universe expanding faster and faster. If this accelerated expansion continues, at some point we will no longer see any other galaxies: a bizarre prospect. Scientific research that can contribute to answering these questions focuses on understanding the history of the universe from its origins, and on observations and computer simulations of the very earliest stages of our cosmos. This information serves as input for theorising the nature and origin of the universe. Thereby, the knowledge we can acquire through observations and simulations is both the inspiration and the referee for the theories under investigation.
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Research into this question has a direct link to (theoretical) physics and astronomy. In addition to new theoretical concepts yet to be developed, instruments are needed with which increasingly accurate observations can be made in ever larger parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, the necessary extensive simulations must be able to be carried out. The associated challenging technological developments also lead to applications outside astronomy and thus provide economic opportunities for the companies involved. Research is also needed for the development of such instrumentation.
