The Federal Republic of Germany signed the FAIR convention together with the partner countries in Wiesbaden on 4 October 2010. 

The German shareholder of the FAIR GmbH is the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH.

GSI is responsible for building and commissioning the FAIR accelerator facility. As well as providing the necessary accelerator components, GSI will also provide technical support for the accelerator and will contribute to the FAIR experiments.

GSI will also contribute to the development of the campus in Darmstadt for the around 3,000 scientists expected to use the FAIR facilities each year.

FAIR GmbH will be responsible for both overground and underground construction and site development work and for subsequent operation of the FAIR accelerator facility upon completion of the build phase.

For over a decade, scientists and engineers at GSI in Darmstadt have been working with an international network of accelerator researchers and experts on the design and development of the new FAIR facility. The decision to construct FAIR was prompted by a recommendation from the German Council of Science and Humanities. This recommendation was subject to international appraisal and confirmed by FAIR’s inclusion in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap. In addition, the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC) recommended FAIR as a top-priority project. By investing in the high-tech FAIR project, the partners aim to strengthen their roles in the global scientific research network. It goes without saying that a project of this magnitude hinges on close international cooperation.

The FAIR accelerator facility will significantly extend the research capabilities of the existing GSI facility, creating opportunities that would not have been possible without the support of FAIR’s international partners.