From 2012A, the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) launches the call for industry creation proposals for BL14B2 (Engineering Science Research II), BL19B2 (Engineering Science Research I) and BL46XU (Engineering Science Research III), which are intended exclusively for industrial application. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Please read the following instructions in full before preparing your application. If you wish to submit a general proposal for industrial application, please read the"Call for 2012A General Proposals for Industrial Application)."
We also accept applications for the SPring-8 measurement service: XAFS Measurement Service at BL14B2, and Powder X-ray Diffraction Measurement Service at BL19B2. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Before applying, please also read the "Call for 2012A SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."

Contents
1. What is Industry Creation Program?
2. Research Period, Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
   2.1 Research Period
   2.2 Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
   2.3 Two-Quarter Proposals
3. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2012A
4. Proposal Submission
5. Deadline: Thursday, December 8, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan Time)
6. Proposal Review Process
7. Notification of Review Results
8. Report Submission
   8.1 Experiment Summary Report
   8.2 Industry Creation Proposal Report
9. Publication and Registration of Research Results
10. Other
   10.1 User Fees
   10.2 Intellectual Property Rights
   10.3 Bioethics and Safety
   10.4 Protection of Human Rights and Interests
11. Consultation
12. Contact (for questions about online proposal submission)

1. What is Industry Creation Program?

To help recover from the devastation of the Great Tohoku Earthquake, existing Japanese industries need to work toward research and development from a long-term perspective, and at the same time, new industries should be created. To this end, the promotion of research and development and the improvement of research environment are essential. At SPring-8, the Industry Creation Program has been launched to facilitate industry-academia-government cooperation in technological development toward the goal of overcoming the "Valley of Death" as declared in the Growth Strategy adopted by the Cabinet in FY2010.

The Industry Creation Program was designated as and added to the Priority Research Program on September 13, 2011.

IMPORTANT:
This program is intended for research using synchrotron radiation which will contribute to the creation of new industries. Please note that experiments must be carried out by the members of "industry-academia," "industry-government" or "industry-academia-government" research organizations. Therefore, those who are affiliated with academia-government organizations are not eligible. If you wish to submit a non-proprietary proposal for industrial application that does not fall in the scope of this program, please consider submitting a general proposal for industrial application.

2. Research Period, Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users

2.1 Research Period
First-half of 2012A (from April through mid-June 2012)

There are two calls for industry creation proposals during each half-year research term (four calls for proposals annually). This time, beamtime is allocated during the above period. The beamtime schedule is arranged after the proposal approval process. The deadline for the second call for 2012A industry creation proposals is scheduled for March 2012.

2.2 Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users

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 questions about the experimental station, please contact the Beamline Scientist of the desired beamline before applying for beamtime.

2.3 Two-Quarter Proposals
Two-quarter proposals are intended for research projects that require multiple experiments spanning two quarters (six months) for smooth progress of R&D activities. Under this program, beamtime is allocated for the first- and second-halves of a research term (The beamtime schedule of the second half will be determined after the proposal selection process for the second half). The call for two-quarter proposals is announced only for the first half of each term; and there is no call for the proposals for the second-half.

3. 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 for 2012A, click here.

4. 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 industry creation proposals (See 6. Proposal Review Process): 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 > Industry Creation Proposal > New

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.

[Multiple Applications]
You cannot submit the same application for 2012A beamtime as a general proposal (excl. industrial application) or priority green/life innovation proposal. If your industry creation proposal is rejected, it will be reviewed as a general proposal for industrial application.

5. 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 12. 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.

6. Proposal Review Process

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 industry creation 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.

The PRC evaluates proposals focusing on the following points:
1. Scientific and technological significance
　- Potential and significance of the expected results in terms of technologies for industrial base
　- Social significance of the proposal and the contribution to social economy
2. Necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool
3. Technical feasibility of the proposal
4. Safety of the experiment

7. Notification of Review Results

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

8. Report Submission

8.1 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 Industry Creation Proposal Report as explained below (See 9. Publication and Registration of Research Results).

8.2 Industry Creation Proposal Report
Submit an industry creation proposal report summarizing the results obtained from your research. If you wish to submit an industry creation proposal report instead of a SPring-8 Research Report (See 9. 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 12. 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 9. 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 industry creation 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 industry creation proposal report remain unpublished to obtain a patent, and if your request is accepted, the publication of your 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 the request after your report has been reviewed.

9. 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.

For details, please click here.

10. Other

10.1 User Fees
For information about the User Fees, read the "Call for 2012A SPring-8 Research Proposals - Overview -."
Click here for more details.

10.2 Intellectual Property Rights
Any intellectual property rights resulting from the use of SPring-8 belong to those who conducted the research. If JASRI staff are included in the project team members, please contact the Industrial Application Division (see 11. Consultation).

10.3 Bioethics and Safety
To ensure bioethics and safety, some types of experiments require the approval, document submission, and confirmation of the director of an applicant's organization. If you wish to conduct such experiments, please make sure to follow the established procedures. In the event that users fail to follow the procedures or to conform to the guidelines of Japan, their proposals will be removed from consideration or the approval for beamtime will be cancelled.

10.4 Protection of Human Rights and Interests
If a proposed research involves R&D or research activities requiring the agreement/cooperation from the other parties or social consensus, please make sure to implement appropriate procedures before proposal submission regarding the protection of human rights and interests.

11. 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.

12. Contact (for questions about online proposal submission)

SPring-8 Users Office/JASRI
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 Japan
email: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp