The Subatomic Physics division, Fundamental Physics, has a long-standing involvement in the scientific programme at the GSI Helmholz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany and also takes a leading role in the process of defining and constructing the FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research), under construction at the GSI site.

FAIR is an international research infrastructure, with Sweden as one of the founding partners, which will be world-leading in nuclear, hadron and portions of atomic and plasma physics. FAIR has a total cost of 1500 M€ and is listed by the ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) together with e.g. ESS. The experimental projects are subdivided in the four scientific pillars of FAIR, NuSTAR (Nuclear Structure, Astrophysics and Reactions), PANDA (Hadron physics), CBM (Compressed baryonic matter) and APPA (Atomic, Plasma Physics and Applications) and gather ~3000 members worldwide. 

The members of the Chalmers group act both as a core team within the flagship experiment NuSTAR-R3B and through policy-driving efforts in the FAIR organizational structures. Thomas Nilsson was elected chair of the NuSTAR Board of Representatives in 2010 and thus head a collaboration with 800 members within nine sub-collaborations. In addition, the representatives of the scientific pillars form the BFC (Board of FAIR Collaborations) as the direct link between the FAIR facility and the experimental community,  where e.g. the BFC chair is a member of the FAIR Project Steering Board. Thomas will take up the duty as BFC chair starting October 1st.