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The project presented in this proposal is aimed to the construction of a prototype of a new kind of portable and versatile particle identification system, suitable to detect swift heavy ions in nuclear physics reactions. The system is based on SiC-CsI(Tl) telescope detector cells, arranged in 3 towers, each hosting 20 telescopes. It is intended to be modular, compact, and versatile, in order to be used in different nuclear physics experiments with minimal adaptations on existing setups. Moreover, both the materials possess high radiation hardness and stability over time, guaranteeing a low maintenance and reliable system, and the possibility to measure at high ion rates, e.g., at very forward angles. The orientation of the towers will be adjustable, to better accommodate different setups and needs. The acquisition system for the 60 SiC and 60 CsI detectors will be composed of 64 channels electronic modules (new generation preamplifiers and digitizers), reducing the encumbrance of the electronics to the minimum. A single telescope is composed by a first stage, made of 100 microns thick SiC detector (the delta E stage), intended to be crossed by incoming ions, and a second stage, made of a 5 mm thick CsI(Tl) scintillator (the residual energy stage, intended to stop the particle), coupled to a photodiode. The detectors present a large area (1.5 x 1.5 cm^2), offering a wide solid angle when assembled into towers. A deep characterization of the SiC detectors will be also done, to study their degree of crystallinity, doping, and impurity level and explore their edge structure. Such analyses will be performed before and after irradiation with heavy-ion beams. The project will be carried out at INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud and POLITO, combining the expertise and synergy of the two institutions in nuclear and material physics. The final goal of the project is to deliver a turnkey particle identification system, equipped with the electronics, mechanical supports, flanges, cables, and data acquisition, which can be used immediately for many nuclear experimental studies.