The Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) calls for 2012A general proposals for industrial application (non-proprietary research only), which have been launched to replace the industrial application proposals (terminated at the end of 2011B). Interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Please read the following instructions in full before preparing your application. If you wish to submit a proprietary proposal, please read the "Call for 2012A General Proposals (excl. industrial application)."

Contents
1. Non-Proprietary and Proprietary Research
2. Research Period
3. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2012A
5. Proposal Submission
6. Submission Deadline: December 8, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan Time)
7. Proposal Review
8. Notification of Review Results
9. Report Submission
10. Publication of Research Results
11. Fees
12. Deadline for Proposals 2012B (next half-year research term)
13. Consultation
14. Contact

1. Non-Proprietary and Proprietary Research

There are two types of research at SPring-8: non-proprietary and proprietary research. Users are exempt from paying the beamtime fee if their research is non-proprietary. For research to be considered non-proprietary, users must submit a SPring-8 Experiment Report within 60 days of the completion of each experiment to make the results available to the public. As for proprietary research, submitted proposals are reviewed only from the viewpoint of feasibility, safety, sociality, and ethics by a limited number of reviewers, who have accepted an obligation of confidentiality. Proprietary research is recommended for users dealing with confidential information and/or experimental samples.

IMPORTANT:
From 2011B, users may request to switch the research type from non-proprietary to proprietary within 60 days after the completion of the experiment or the end of the fiscal year (the end of March), whichever comes first.

2. Research Period

- At all beamlines except BL14B2, BL19B2 and BL46XU
From April through July 2012 (to be finalized)
- At BL14B2, BL19B2 and BL46XU (BLs intended for industrial applications)
From April through mid-June 2012 (first half of 2012A) (to be finalized)
(We will call for proposals to be conducted during the second half of 2012A in spring 2012. Please note that for this period, beamtime is available only for industrial application.)

3. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users

For beamlines available to users and beamtime allocated to each beamline, click the link below.

Public 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.

If you have no experience using the desired beamline or if you have questions about the experimental stations, please contact the Beamline Scientist of the beamline before applying for beamtime.

4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2012A

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."

For several bunch modes, click here.

5. 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 2012A SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."

To submit an application online, you need to have obtained a user account (user card ID number and password) by registering yourself. Please make sure that not only project leaders/applicants but also all project team members are registered as SPring-8 users. If you are not registered as a SPring-8 user, click here to register.

IMPORTANT:
Unlike other types of proposals, emphasis is placed on particular criteria in reviewing general proposals for industrial application (See 7. Proposal Review): so please download a MS Word template, provide all required information according to the instructions provided in the template, and copy and paste into the online application form (since there are discrepancies between the required items on the online application form and in the template).

User Information Website (UI site) > Log in to My Page > Proposal Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research > General Proposal

On the Basic Information page, please be sure to choose:
　　[Review Field] Group: [I] Industrial Application / Subgroup: [I] Industrial Application
　　[Research Area] Group: [A80] Industrial Applications / Subgroup: (Choose one that is suitable.)

For step-by-step instructions on how to submit proposals, please click here.

6. Submission Deadline

Thursday, December 8, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan 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.

7. Proposal Review

The scientific and technological significance, the necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, the scientific feasibility, safety of the experiment, and ethics are comprehensively reviewed. If the research area of your proposal is Industrial Applications, the review of scientific and technological significance will be focused on the potential and significance of the expected results in terms of technologies for industrial base, the social significance of the proposal, and the contribution to social economy. To promote the use of SPring-8 by new users* and industries**, applicants' experience using SPring-8 and affiliation is also taken into account.

The submitted proposals are evaluated by the Proposal Review Committee (PRC) consisting of experts from industry and academia, and proposals that are rated excellent in light of the aims of the general proposal (for industrial application) program are selected. The review sessions are closed to the public; however, we make sure that a reviewer who has a conflict of interest with a proposal would not be assigned to review the proposal in question. In addition, all current and retired reviewers are under an obligation of confidentiality: they are required not to disclose to any third party any information relating to the submitted proposals and the proposal review/selection process acquired as reviewers and to manage such information with the care of a good manager. Please note that questions about the status of review process are not acceptable.

*Applicants who have never used SPring-8.
**Project leader needs to be affiliated with a private sector organization.

8. Notification of Review Results

Applicants will be notified of the review results in writing mid-February 2012.

9. Report Submission (Non-Proprietary Research Only)

9.1 Experiment Summary Report
From 2011B, users are required to submit an Experiment Summary Report online within 60 days after their experiment. Submitted reports are made publicly available online two weeks after the report submission deadline for the last experiment of the term (60 days after the end of each half-year research term + two weeks). For details, please click here.

In addition to an experiment summary report, users also need to submit an Industrial Application Proposal Report (provisional name) as explained below.

9.2 Industrial Application Proposal Report (provisional name)
Submit an industrial application proposal report (provisional name) summarizing the results obtained from your general proposal for industrial application. If you wish to submit an industrial application proposal report instead of a SPring-8 Research Report (See 10. Publication and Registration of Research Results) to be regarded as having published your results (the review and approval by the panel is required), please contact the Users Office (See 14. Contact) when submitting your report.

Please submit your report by the submission deadline written in the official document sent after the proposal is approved. Please send it as electronic data preferably in MS Word format by email or post.

After perusal by the coordinators in charge, all submitted reports will be made available online and in print six months after the end of the research term. The reports submitted in lieu of SPring-8 Research Reports (See 10. Publication and Registration of Research Results) are made publicly available after review and approval by the panel.

A briefing session is scheduled after a certain number of industrial application proposal reports are submitted, and you will be requested to give a presentation on your research results.

Please make sure to report to the Industrial Application Division immediately in writing after filing or obtaining a patent or in the case of commercialization of intellectual property. Please note that we sometimes consult users about the use of research results for PR purposes.

[Postponement of Report Publication]
You may make a request that your industrial application proposal report remain unpublished to obtain a patent, and if your request is accepted, the publication of your industrial application proposal report will be postponed for up to two years. (Please note that the report submission deadline may not be extended.) However, you may not make a request after your report has been reviewed.

10. Publication and Registration of Research Results

Publish your research in a refereed journal or equivalent (refereed proceedings, dissertation, etc.) and register the publications with the Publications Database within three years after the end of the research term. If the proposed research did not result in a publication, please publish your research results in a SPring-8 Research Report or a corporate technical journal article (industrial users only).

UI site > Log in to My Page > Application/Reporting > After Experiment > Publications Entry

For details, please click here.

11. Fees

For information about the beamtime fee and user fees, please see the "Call for 2012A SPring-8 Research Proposals - Overview -."

Click here for more details about the user fees.

12. Deadline for Proposals 2012B (next half-year research term)

Deadline for 2012B proposals (second half of fiscal 2012) is scheduled for late June 2012.
Please note that we will call for proposals to be conducted during the second half of 2012A at beamlines intended for industrial applications (BL14B2, BL19B2 and BL46XU) in early April 2012.

13. Consultation:

The coordinators and other Industrial Application Division staff are available for consultation. If you have questions about the feasibility of your experiment, research methods, research planning, etc., please send your questions directly to support@spring8.or.jp.

14. Contact:

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