Long Term Project Proposal

GUIDELINES for preparing an
Application for a LONG TERM PROJECT PROPOSAL

NEXT DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION:

15 JANUARY 2012 (inclusive)

It consists in the completion and submission of the specific electronic Long Term Project Beamtime Application Form and the completion of the corresponding Experimental Method form. See details in the Instruction table below.

•  Proposals must be written in English.

•  All sections of the form must be filled in.  Particular attention should be given to the safety aspects, and the name and characteristics of the substance(s) completed carefully.  Please respect the space available on the form;

•  An experimental report on previous measurements - including experiments on CRG beamlines - must be submitted electronically before subsequent requests for beam time are made, using the Electronic Experimental Report Form. Please mention on your new beamtime application form the experiment(s) for which you have submitted report(s);

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

DURATION

The initial LTP can last up to three years (six consecutive scheduling periods). It is important to note that the request for beamtime and beamline in the electronic LTP proposal form must be done for the FIRST 6-MONTH SCHEDULING PERIOD ONLY. The beamtime requested for the other scheduling periods should be noted in the table of section 5 of the LTP experimental methods template. The beamtime allocated for each of the scheduling periods will be determined during the corresponding Review Committees. A prolongation of the LTP can be submitted after the final report has been submitted.

BEAMLINES AVAILABLE

The following beamlines will be undergoing closure periods over the next two years as part of the ESRF Upgrade Programme : ID16, ID18 and ID22. You are therefore advised to check first with the scientists responsible for these beamlines before submitting an LTP as the project you propose may not be possible over the timescale required.

EXPERIMENTAL METHOD FORM

The specific Experimental Method form contains the following sections:

1. Abstract

A short abstract, not exceeding half a page, must summarise the proposal.

2. Scientific case

This section presents the scientific case and the development aspects of the proposal, outlining in particular the reasons for filing a LTP, the results expected, and milestones, i.e. the scientific and/or technical goals for each year of the period covered by the LTP;

3. Competence & References

This paragraph contains:

• A summary of the relative experience and competence of the proposing scientists to carry out the proposal;
• References to publications relevant to the scientific or technical subject (in order to allow the Beamtime Allocation Committees to obtain detailed information in the field, if needed);

4. Technical details

The proposed technical implementation of the LTP is described. Besides the standard information requested from all applications for beamtime (such as the beamline equipment and set-up, sample environment issues, safety issues, special support …), it must specify:

• resources and services the Users assume to be available at the ESRF,
• extra efforts expected from the ESRF in terms of staff and instrumentation,
• contributions of the User group to the execution of the LTP, including human and financial resources for the construction, commissioning and operation of specific equipment brought by the User group.

5. Beamtime(s) & Beamline(s)

Beamtime(s) and beamline(s) must be requested for each scheduling period within the total period covered by the LTP. This section summarizes the expected results, consistent with the milestones stated in section 2.

6. Resources

Information about how and when the proposing User group expects to obtain the resources (human and financial) needed for the implementation of the LTP, including whether or not the User group needs the prior acceptance of the LTP to secure the resources required;

7. Benefits to the ESRF User Community

The long-term benefits to the ESRF User community expected from the successful implementation of the LTP. This could consist, for example, in new instrumentation, a new technique, or a new community using the ESRF. Safety considerations

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Experimental conditions requiring special safety precautions such as the use of lasers, high pressure cells, bacteria, viruses, dangerous substances, toxic substances and radioactive materials, must be clearly stated in the proposal. Moreover, any ancillary equipment supplied by the user must conform with the appropriate French regulations.

Further information can be obtained from:

• the Experimental Safety Officer: Martine Moroni Tel: +33 (0)4 7688.2369, Fax: +33 (0)4 7688.2418
  
• the Joint Safety Officer for Biology: Véronique Mayeux Tel: +33 (0)4 76 88 22 03 
  
  Consult the Biosafety information web pages
  

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A LONG TERM PROJECT PROPOSAL

The Electronic Submission is done through the ESRF User Portal (SMIS). You will require your ESRF login (last name) and personal password to login to the application. If you are already registered in the ESRF data base but you have forgotten your personal password, kindly contact the User Office by e-mail (User Office). If you are not yet registered in the ESRF data base, you will be able to create your own user account and to access the proposal submission application.

IMPORTANT: Should you run into difficulties submitting your proposal electronically, please DO NOT SEND a paper version which is no longer acceptable, but contact the User Office who will give you instructions to proceed with the electronic submission of your proposal.

The electronic submission consists of the following steps

• tab "Proposals / Experiments"
  
• "Proposals"
  
• tab "New proposal"

• SELECT the electronic beamtime application form for a LONG TERM PROJECT PROPOSAL
  
• COMPLETE AND SUBMIT your electronic Long Term Project beamtime application form: data registered in the beamtime application form (details for the main proposer, the co-proposer(s), proposal title, beamline(s) and shift(s) requested,...) is submitted directly into an ESRF data base: 

Once SAVED, the electronic beamtime application form is given a REFERENCE NUMBER and registered under the tab "Proposals in Progress". It can be modified until the deadline (15th January).

• COMPLETE the Experimental Method for a Long Term Project Proposal using the template:
MS Word for WINDOWS

Please note that the lengh of the document should not exceed 12 pages of A4 format, and the font height should not be smaller than 12 pt. The size should not exceed 3 MB. The experimental details form must be submitted under the PDF format. It can be modified until the deadline  (15th January).

•  DOWNLOAD the Experimental Method file of your beamtime application form and SUBMIT IT (the application accepts ONLY the PDF format): it will be automatically linked to your electronic beamtime application form

A PDF file of your complete proposal is available: please check it before the validation of your proposal

• VALIDATE your proposal
  

Please note that the submission of your new proposal will NOT be complete unless you VALIDATE your proposal (Beamtime Application Form AND Experimental Method).

Once validated by the main proposer, the proposal is registered under the tab "Proposals in Progress". It can be modified until the deadline (15th January).

IF YOU WISH TO MODIFY YOUR PROPOSAL....

A submitted proposal can be modified until the deadline (15th January)

• VALIDATION by the User Office

The User Office validates the proposals after the deadline and attributes them a FINAL NUMBER (i.e.: CH-1111)

 Once validated by the User Office, the proposals are registered under the tab "Proposals with final number / Experiments" and cannot be anymore modified.

top