diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 393b2fa34667b79ac406c85b657b3138e560fd40..d7cab9508affc88142872bd11d2ceebcbee5a2a3 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-image: mwm126/mfix-exa:cuda
+image: python:3.7.5-buster
 
 variables:
   GIT_STRATEGY: fetch
@@ -8,12 +8,10 @@ variables:
 
 test:all:
   script:
-    - cmake -S .
-            -B build
-            -G Ninja
-    - cmake --build build --target unit_tests
-    - ./build/src/tests/unit_tests
-    - cmake --build build --target mfix-parser
-    - find -name inputs |grep -v tutorials/wdf/mueller | xargs -l ./build/mfix-parser # FIXME: correct syntax error (= =) in file
+    - python -m pip install meson ninja
+    - meson build
+    - meson test -C build
+    - ninja -C build src/mfix-parser
+    - find -name inputs |grep -v tutorials/wdf/mueller | xargs -l ./build/src/mfix-parser # FIXME: correct syntax error (= =) in file
   tags:
     - mfix-exa
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b70011512f33750da8577f457358c4a21b54beaf..cdfb12c0e74796918f0af197d5ca27c0ed6c7ecf 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,6 +18,21 @@ if(CCACHE_FOUND)
 endif()
 
 add_subdirectory(src)
+add_subdirectory(tests)
+
+find_program(CLANG_FMT NAMES clang-format-9 clang-format-8 clang-format-7 clang-format)
+
+if(CLANG_FMT)
+  get_target_property(_psrcs unit_tests SOURCES)
+  add_custom_target(fmt_test
+    COMMAND ${CLANG_FMT} -i ${_psrcs}
+    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/tests
+    )
+  file(GLOB _includes ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/*.hpp)
+
+  add_custom_target(fmt)
+  add_dependencies(fmt fmt_test)
+endif()
 
 set(EXENAME "mfix-parser")
 add_executable(${EXENAME} src/main.cpp)
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0b8213fcf1d8e553d38bad757bcc33f0a8ab90d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+project('mfix-parser', 'cpp',
+        version : '0.1',
+        default_options : ['warning_level=3', 'cpp_std=c++17'])
+
+tao_inc = include_directories('subprojects/PEGTL/include')
+catch2_inc = include_directories('subprojects/Catch2/single_include')
+parser_inc = include_directories('src')
+
+subdir('src')
+subdir('tests')
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 1b4d8ffc29428d1bd39252cdc3b8939d4b202071..aaf0ffb85d58687e8196395b9d092e68438427ae 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -12,19 +12,3 @@ target_include_directories(parser PRIVATE
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/subprojects/PEGTL/include)
 
 target_link_libraries(parser PRIVATE stdc++fs)
-
-add_subdirectory(tests)
-
-find_program(CLANG_FMT NAMES clang-format-9 clang-format-8 clang-format-7 clang-format)
-
-if(CLANG_FMT)
-  get_target_property(_psrcs unit_tests SOURCES)
-  add_custom_target(fmt_test
-    COMMAND ${CLANG_FMT} -i ${_psrcs}
-    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/tests
-    )
-  file(GLOB _includes ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/*.hpp)
-
-  add_custom_target(fmt)
-  add_dependencies(fmt fmt_test)
-endif()
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d620efda2ca11d291b00f74c1b7412cfc3ed7c11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+lib_parser = static_library('mfix-parser',
+                            'inputs_file.cpp',
+                            'parser.cpp',
+                            'solver.cpp',
+                            include_directories: tao_inc,
+                            install : true)
+
+executable('mfix-parser',
+           'main.cpp',
+           link_with: lib_parser)
diff --git a/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
similarity index 96%
rename from src/tests/CMakeLists.txt
rename to tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 355c820fdf0b5e17ed4611eeee0558a268b02169..ddb31a995803f0961c9ac2f4cc641f8bcdea1e2c 100644
--- a/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,14 +3,12 @@
 ################################################################################
 
 add_executable(unit_tests EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL
-  ../inputs_file.cpp
-  ../parser.cpp
-  ../solver.cpp
   inputs.t.cpp
   parser.t.cpp
   main.cpp
   solver.t.cpp
   )
+target_link_libraries(unit_tests parser)
 
 target_include_directories(unit_tests PRIVATE
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/subprojects/PEGTL/include
diff --git a/src/tests/inputs.t.cpp b/tests/inputs.t.cpp
similarity index 100%
rename from src/tests/inputs.t.cpp
rename to tests/inputs.t.cpp
diff --git a/src/tests/main.cpp b/tests/main.cpp
similarity index 100%
rename from src/tests/main.cpp
rename to tests/main.cpp
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f0b783875204036a25a326edfc9ee1980d8b539b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+unit_exe = executable('unit_tests',
+                      'inputs.t.cpp',
+                      'parser.t.cpp',
+                      'solver.t.cpp',
+                      'main.cpp',
+                      include_directories: [parser_inc, catch2_inc],
+                      link_with: lib_parser
+                     )
+
+test('unit_test', unit_exe)
diff --git a/src/tests/parser.t.cpp b/tests/parser.t.cpp
similarity index 100%
rename from src/tests/parser.t.cpp
rename to tests/parser.t.cpp
diff --git a/src/tests/solver.t.cpp b/tests/solver.t.cpp
similarity index 100%
rename from src/tests/solver.t.cpp
rename to tests/solver.t.cpp