Applying for beamtime

last modified 22-03-2013 10:45

Please use the ESRF User Portal (SMIS) to submit proposals and experiment reports, to check their status, and to list and consult previous proposals and experiments.

Please try to submit your proposal as early as possible in order to avoid overloading the applications system.

Proposals & Publications in the ESRF Library Database: DETAILS on procedure

important dates
Proposal deadlines	1 SEPTEMBER 2013 (inclusive) for beam time from March 2014 to July 2014 15 JANUARY 2014 (inclusive) for Long-Term Project (LTP) applications Submit proposal
Review Committee Meetings	25-26 April 2013 (Review of proposals submitted 1^st March 2013) 24-25 October 2013 (Review of proposals submitted 1^stSeptember 2013)

** IMPORTANT INFORMATION **

From Proposal Round October 2012

A new PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS came into operation. The new structure implemented introduces the review of the proposals based on the beamlines requested in the proposal form:10 Review Committees corresponding to 10 groups of beamlines assess the proposals.

The electronic application forms for beam time for a Standard Proposal and a Long Term Project Proposal have been modified in order to allow proposers to indicate with greater accuracy the beamline or selection of beamlines required, and to provide more precise information about the scientific research carried out at the ESRF and their societal impact.

Details HERE

Advice on writing a good proposal based on feedback from proposal Review Committee Members and beamline staff.

If you intend to submit a STANDARD Application for Beam Time, please note that you are required:

* to use the TEMPLATE of the "Experimental Method Form" for a Standard Research Proposal (last update: July 2009); this document should consist of a maximum of two A4 pages (including references) with a minimal font size of 12pt. Proposals with an experiment methods form which exceeds 2 A4 pages (including references) will automatically be rejected by the Review Committee.

* to make sure that the EXPERIMENTAL REPORTS registered as "relevant reports" in your new Application for Beam Time have been EFFECTIVELY submitted and registered in our data base. Please submit, as far as possible, experimental reports (if necessary preliminary reports) on your most recent experiments, even those carried out during the last 6 months preceding the proposal submission deadline, and register them in your new proposal(s) as "relevant reports".

Be aware that:

Applications for Beam Time submitted with the old template of the Experimental Method Form and/or supported by previous experiment(s) for which the report(s) - relevant report(s) - has/have not been submitted via the User Portal will not be awarded beam time by the Review Committees.

Further to a decision of the ESRF Council, information concerning the scientific use of the ESRF will be provided to the Heads of Delegation of the Contracting Parties and Observers from Scientific Associate countries to the Council.

For detailed information on data provided (and additional information to be provided for all UK users) please click HERE

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Beamlines and Facilities

The ESRF UPGRADE PROGRAMME has already started. Please check the status of the beamlines and their availability for the next proposal deadline.

The public beamlines in operation at ESRF provide some 500 shifts of beam time each year for user experiments, after deducting machine-dedicated runs and maintenance days. In addition, several externally funded, Collaborating Research Group (CRG) beamlines, make available 1/3 of their beam time to ESRF users. During the year, two long shut-downs are scheduled: 4 weeks in winter and 3 weeks in summer. Beamlines at ESRF operate 24 hours a day in three shifts, each of 8 hours.

Important

From the Proposal Round of October 2012 it is the beamline(s) requested by the main proposer, in the application for beam time, which determine(s) the committee(s) which will review and assess the proposal (see new proposal review process). It is therefore extremely important that the proposer takes great care when selecting the beamline(s) for his/her proposal in order to have his/her proposal assessed by the appropriate Review Committee.

The proposer is requested to contact the scientists in charge of beamlines on which the project may be feasible, prior to submitting the application. If a beamline is requested for the first time, consultations prior to submission are essential.

Useful links

List of Beamlines

Fields of Research

Scientific Infrastructure Group: this group provides specialized support to users and develops new techniques in the areas of chemistry and micromanipulation, sample environments, and surface science.
list of support laboratories available to the users

Application for Beam Time

Application for beamtime must be submitted electronically through the User Portal. Each application is assigned to a specific scientific area and is submitted to a Review Committee. Members of these committees are specialists in relevant areas of science and are appointed by the ESRF management.

Requests for beam time are based on shifts of 8 hours.
Allocations of beam time will usually be made in multiples of 3 shifts

Reviewed Proposals

Standard Research Proposal
Long Term Project Proposal (what is a Long Term Project)
Block Allocation Group (BAG) Proposal (only for Macromolecular Crystallography - MX - proposal)
MX non-BAG Proposal (Rolling access procedure. Request for beamtime used by scientists who are NOT included in a MX BAG Proposal)

Non-reviewed Experiments

Test Crystals Experiments

Before submitting a proposal for ESRF beam time, we strongly recommend that you first consult the Proposal Guidelines specific to the category of your new proposal very carefully, as these contain detailed instructions regarding the electronic completion and submission of your proposal.

Deadlines for submission and Review Committees

> Standard Proposals and BAG Proposals

Two proposal review rounds are held each year, with deadlines for submission of applications for beam time on:

1^st March (inclusive) for the scheduling period August to February
1^stSeptember (inclusive) for the scheduling period March to July
Review Committees: The proposals submitted for 1^stMarch and 1^st September proposal rounds are reviewed during the Review Committees which are held in April and October, respectively.

> Long Term Project Proposals

LTPs can be submitted once a year with a fixed deadline: 15^th January (inclusive)
Review Committees: the Long Term Project proposals are reviewed during the Review Committees which are held in April.

> MX non-BAG Proposals

This method of applying for beamtime can be made AT ANY TIME.
Review Committees: the MX non-BAG Proposals are reviewed by the Review Committee within 2-3 weeks of their reception at the ESRF.

Assessment & Beam Time allocation

New Proposal Review Process (since October 2012)

The Review Committees meet twice a year, in April and in October, to assess proposals received at the submission deadlines of 1st March and 1st September, respectively.

The Review Committees, assisted by external referees where appropriate, consider the proposals: they first assign each proposal a grade between 0 and 5.5 on the basis of scientific merit, 5.5 being the top score. At their meetings, the committees discuss the projects, and arrive at a final grade for each proposal; they also rank the proposals in order of priority for each beamline.

Beam time is allocated on the basis of scientific merit, following the recommendations of the Review Committees, and provided the experiment proposed meets technical feasibility and safety requirements.

For Macromolecular Crystallography proposals, the submission of electronic sample sheet(s), which provide ESRF with full details on samples mentioned in the proposal, is mandatory at the time an application is submitted. Failure to provide this information will mean an application will NOT be accepted.

Beam time for non-proprietary industrial research is available on the same conditions as university-based research; users from industrial firms however do not receive a contribution to their expenses. Consult information web pages on "Industry Solutions" (ESRF home page).

Scheduling of experiments

Following each meeting of the Review Committees, proposers are informed of the decisions taken. If beam time has not been allocated, brief, general reasons only are given, as the ESRF does not enter into correspondence concerning decisions made by the scientific Review Committees.

When beam-time is allocated, invitations for experiments, together with detailed instructions, are then communicated to the Proposers concerned by the ESRF User Office several weeks ahead of the scheduled experiment.