Contents
1. What is Budding Researchers Support Program?
2. Research Area
3. Application Requirements
4. Support for Expenses
5. Research Period
6. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
7. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2010A
8. Proposal Submission
9. Submission Deadline: December 17, 10:00 am (JST)
10. Proposal Review
11. Notification of Review Results
12. Report Submission
13. Payment of User Fees
14. Contact

1. What is Budding Researchers Support Program?

The Budding Researchers Support Program intends to encourage budding researchers who will shape the future of synchrotron radiation research. Under the program, we will provide support for doctoral students with an exploratory and original research proposal or research theme. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Please prepare your proposal application using the following guidelines and instructions.

2. Research Area

Research using synchrotron radiation (same as general proposals).

3. Application Requirements

Applicants must be either
a) Ph.D. students, or
b) masters students, who will be Ph.D. students at the time of experiment at the SPring-8.
In either case, applicants are required to show initiative, work independently, and be self-reliant when conducting research. All applicants must obtain permission to apply from their Ph.D. advisors, who can be responsible for the experiment at the SPring-8.

4. Support for Expenses

In principle, we will cover the domestic travel expenses including the SPring-8 Guest House lodging expenses for two people (the project leader and a student/project team member). At this point, however, it is uncertain if we will be able to obtain the necessary funding for 2010A.

5. Research Period

2010A (From April through July 2010)

6. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users

Public Beamlines:

RIKEN Beamlines:
Please contact the beamline scientist of the desired beamline before applying for beamtime.

For the specifications and status of experimental stations, please check with the Beamline List. To see what kind of experiments have been performed at SPring-8, please check with the SPring-8 Solution Database.

7. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2010A

  A-mode: 203 bunches
  B-mode: 4-bunch train x 84
  C-mode: 11-bunch train x 29
  D-mode*: 1/7-filling + 5 bunches
  E-mode*: 2/29-filling + 26 bunches

* The filling modes of D and E-modes operated in research term A (e.g. 2010A, 2011A). In research term B (e.g. 2010B, 2011B), D and E-modes will be 1/14-filling + 12 bunches and, 4/58-filling + 53 bunches, respectively. For details, click here.

If you have a preference for a particular operating mode, choose from the pull-down menu on the Basic Information page of the online application form, and explain the difference in efficiency between your first- and second-choice modes in the box provided for "Others."

8. Proposal Submission

Applicants/project leaders are required to submit proposals online through the web-based proposal submission system. Before starting the application process, please first carefully read the "Call for 2010A SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."

Log in to the system with your user card ID number and password. If you have not obtained your user card ID number, please complete user registration first. Please note that only the project leader can submit proposals: if a project team member needs to submit a proposal in place of the project leader, he or she must log in to the project leader's account. In this case, the project leader is responsible for managing his or her account information. Before starting the application process, project leaders must make sure that all project team members have completed user registration.

User Information Website (UI site) > Login > Proposal Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research > Budding Researchers Support Proposal

Click here to download a working copy (MS Word) of the online application form.

For step-by-step instructions on how to submit proposals, please see this page.

9. Submission Deadline

Thursday, December 17, 2009, 10:00 am (Japan standard time)

To avoid last minute technical problems and possible network congestion caused by heavy traffic, you are strongly encouraged to complete and submit your application well in advance of the deadline. If you have trouble completing/submitting your application online, please contact the SPring-8 Users Office (see 14. Contact) before the deadline.

Upon successful submission, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of Agreement (Rules for Users) in PDF format attached to it. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please log in to the system and check if your proposal has been submitted successfully.

Please make sure to print out the Agreement, have it signed by the project leader and the Ph.D. advisor, and send it to the Users Office by post no later than December 24, 2009.

Deadline for 2010B Proposals (next half-year research term):
Deadline for 2010B proposals (second half of fiscal 2010) is scheduled for mid-June 2010.

10. Proposal Review

Submitted budding researchers support proposals are subject to review as general proposals at the Proposal Review Committee.

11. Notification of Review Results

Applicants will be notified of the review results in writing mid-February 2010.

12. Report Submission

In addition to the SPring-8 Experiment Report required to be submitted online within 60 days after the experiment, project leaders are also required to submit a Budding Researchers Support Program Report (paper size: A4, length: about 5 pages); or related research paper or doctoral dissertation to the SPring-8 Users Office.

13. Payment of User Fees

Supported by the Government's treasury, Budding Researchers have been exempt from paying the user fees (fixed and variable fees); at this point, however, it is uncertain if we will be able to obtain the necessary funding for 2010A.

14. Contact

SPring-8 Users Office/User Administration Divison, JASRI
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun
Hyogo 679-5198 Japan
Fax: +81-(0)791-58-0965
email: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp