diff --git a/test_downstream/.gitignore b/test_downstream/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..378eac25d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_downstream/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+build
diff --git a/test_downstream/CMakeLists.txt b/test_downstream/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..390aea563
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_downstream/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16 FATAL_ERROR)
+
+project(test_downstream LANGUAGES Fortran)
+
+find_package(fesom REQUIRED)
+
+message("fesom found: ${fesom_DIR}")
+message("fesom_VERSION: ${fesom_VERSION}")
+message("fesom_HAVE_OPENMP: ${fesom_HAVE_OPENMP}")
+message("fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE: ${fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE}")
+
+if(NOT TARGET fesom)
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "fesom was installed wrongly: fesom target not found")
+endif()
+
+if (ASSERT_FESOM_DIR)
+  if (NOT fesom_DIR MATCHES "${ASSERT_FESOM_DIR}")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "fesom was not found in expected location ${ASSERT_FESOM_DIR}")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
+if (DEFINED ASSERT_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE)
+  if (ASSERT_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE AND NOT fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "fesom was installed wrongly: fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE=${fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE}")
+  elseif (NOT ASSERT_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE AND fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "fesom was installed wrongly: fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE=${fesom_HAVE_IFS_INTERFACE}")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
+get_target_property(target_type fesom TYPE)
+if( NOT target_type MATCHES "STATIC_LIBRARY|SHARED_LIBRARY")
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "fesom target's TYPE is expected to be STATIC_LIBRARY or SHARED_LIBRARY. Actual TYPE: ${target_type}")
+endif ()
+
+add_executable( main main.F90 )
+target_link_libraries( main fesom )
+
diff --git a/test_downstream/README b/test_downstream/README
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e46358cd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_downstream/README
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+This dummy project can be used to test if fesom was installed and can be found correctly in downstream CMake projects
+
+Example use:
+
+  export fesom_ROOT=<path-to-fesom-prefix> # can be install or build dir!!!
+  cmake -S . -B build
+  cmake --build build
+  build/main
+
diff --git a/test_downstream/main.F90 b/test_downstream/main.F90
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3fe20d678
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_downstream/main.F90
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+program main
+use mod_mesh
+
+
+end program