In hadron physics, experiments using hadronic probes may shed light on open questions on the structure of hadrons, their interactions that are subject to the strong force and on the symmetries of nature. Therefore a major focus of the physics program studied at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY of the Forschungszentrum Jülich is the production of mesons and hyperons in hadron‐ hadron scattering with the aim to investigate relevant production processes, interactions of the participating particles as well as symmetries and symmetry breaking. The COoler SYnchrotron COSY at Jülich accelerates protons and deuterons with momenta up to 3.7 GeV/c covering hadron physics in the light quark sector. The availability of the beam cooling systems allow precision measurements, using polarized proton and deuteron beams in combination with polarized Hydrogen or Deuterium targets. Due to the excellent experimental conditions at COSY single‐ and double‐polarization measurements can be performed with high reaction rates. With the operation of the recently installed WASA‐at‐COSY apparatus, high‐statistics studies aiming at rare decays of η and η are effectively turning COSY into a meson factory. This contribution summarizes the ongoing physics program at the COSY facility, using the detector systems ANKE, WASA and COSY‐TOF highlighting a few selective recent results and outlining future developments. The research at COSY also provides a step towards the realization of FAIR with studies on spin manipulation and polarization build‐up of protons in polarized targets.

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