On February 13, the TIANFU Cosmic Ray Research Center was inaugurated by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHEP). Under the Center, cutting-edge research platforms will be built, such as the laboratory for cosmic ray research, laboratory for detection technology, and laboratory for high-altitude observation and verification. Supported by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), the Center focuses on the world-leading research on cosmic ray physics and the application and promotion of related technologies, and serves as another important high-level innovation platform in Chengdu of Sichuan Province.

As one of the important institutes in the field of cosmic ray research in China, Southwest Jiaotong University is a core member of LHAASO and the only university to build a joint laboratory of cosmic ray physics in collaboration with IHEP. In March 2016, the Institute of Modern Physics and the center for experimental physics of the University merged into the SWJTU-IHEP joint laboratory of cosmic ray physics,  providing strong support for the newly established TIANFU Cosmic Ray Research Center. The joint laboratory is also a base for the practical training of undergraduates and graduate students and for the popularization of astrophysical science. In recent years, the Institute of Astroparticle Physics of SWJTU and IHEP have made full use of their respective resources to carry out research and development of LHAASO-related detection technologies, research on frontier astrophysics of cosmic ray, and pre-research on the next-generation technology of cosmic ray detectors.