Science meets politics: FAIR and GSI present progress of international particle accelerator facility at parliamentary evening in Berlin
27.10.2025 |
“MegaScience Project FAIR – Commissioning of the international particle accelerator facility in Darmstadt begins”: Under this headline, the management of FAIR and GSI – Scientific Managing Director Professor Dr. Thomas Nilsson, Administrative Managing Director Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, and Technical Managing Director Jörg Blaurock, invited to a parliamentary evening in Berlin. The event was held under the patronage of Dr. Michael Meister, Minister of State for Federal-State Cooperation. Numerous members of the German Bundestag and staff from parliamentary offices attended to get informed about the current status of one of the world’s most exciting and largest scientific infrastructure projects.
After the welcome address by Dr. Michael Meister, the FAIR-/GSI management together with Dr. Ingo Peter, Head of Public Relations of FAIR and GSI, introduced the FAIR project and its significant advances in implementation. The FAIR accelerator center (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) is a long-term investment in international cutting-edge research and is currently being built at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt. It will enable thousands of scientists from around the world to explore the universe in the laboratory and break new ground in research, as well as in high-tech developments for innovative applications in technology and medicine.
Minister of State Dr. Michael Meister was delighted to welcome the FAIR/GSI management to Berlin and emphasized the importance of dialogue between research and politics in his opening speech: “FAIR is a globally outstanding project with enormous potential, offering extremely promising prospects in research and technology development. It is essential that major research projects like FAIR, which receive public funding, transparently communicate their progress and goals. Therefore, it is valuable and important to receive background information about this large-scale scientific project. Only in this way can we jointly set the course for a successful future of the German and international research landscape.”
Participants at the parliamentary evening took the opportunity to talk directly with the FAIR and GSI management and learn about the FAIR project firsthand. They answered questions about the current status, provided background information, and offered a concise overview of the science and high-tech, construction and technical progress, global manufacturing of high-tech components, strategic goals, and developments at the Darmstadt site.
Current construction highlights and recent developments in implementation were also presented, along with outlooks on science and expansion up to 2028 and beyond. The realization of the FAIR MegaScience Project is well on track, commissioning has begun, and the start of scientific operations for the first expansion stage with initial experiments is planned for 2028. Further steps will be based on the respective approvals of national and international partners, enabling further significant scientific and technological gains. The FAIR and GSI management emphasized: “A central challenge of modern research is forward-thinking over long periods. FAIR is not being built just for the next few years, but for the next decades.”
The importance of FAIR for cutting-edge research, as well as for society and Germany’s international competitiveness, is substantial: World-class FAIR research within international collaborations sustainably strengthens the scientific location. The economic and technological hub also benefits, as FAIR attracts bright minds and expertise, and develops high-tech for innovative applications in technology and medicine.
After the successful event, the managing directors of GSI and FAIR, Professor Thomas Nilsson, Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, and Jörg Blaurock, emphasized: “FAIR is a flagship project that creates new knowledge and simultaneously serves as an innovation driver, an attractive employer, and a talent forge for young scientists and highly qualified professionals in the STEM fields. We are delighted to be able to drive these important developments forward together with our partners from politics and science.” (BP/IP)
