This call has been closed.

Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) announces the second call for proposals for BL14B2 (Engineering Science Research II), BL19B2 (Engineering Science Research I) and BL46XU (Engineering Science Research III), which are intended for industrial applications. For the second period of 2018A (from late May to early July 2018), Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application, General Proposals (industrial applications only), Budding Researchers Support Proposals (industrial applications only), Proprietary General Proposals, and Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposals are accepted. As for Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application, General Proposals (industrial applications only) and Budding Researchers Support Proposals (industrial application only), proposals for complementary use with SACLA (X-ray Free Electron Laser facility), J-PARC MLF (neutron facility) or the K computer (supercomputer) are included. Please follow the guidelines and instructions below when applying.

We also accept applications for the SPring-8 measurement service: XAFS Measurement Service at BL14B2, Powder X-ray Diffraction Measurement Service at BL19B2, Small Angle Scattering (SAXS) Measurement Service at BL19B2, HAXPES and Thin Film Analysis Measurement Service at BL46XU. Interested parties are encouraged to apply.

[IMPORTANT]
Please note that Notification of Review Results will be dispatched in late April.If you are planning to bring in a high-pressure gas cylinder for your experiment, please submit High-Pressure Gas Container Carrying-in Prior Application immediately.

[Contents]

1. Beamlines and the Number of Shifts Available to Users
2. Outline of Proposals Invited
   2.1 Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application
   2.2 General Proposal (Industrial Applications Only)
   2.3 Budding Researchers Support Proposal (Industrial Applications Only)
   2.4 Proprietary General Proposal
   2.5 Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal
3. Proposal Submission (Click here for a MS Word template.)
   3.1 Online Proposal Application
   3.2 Document Submission
4. Deadlines
   4.1 Submission Deadline for Online Proposals
   4.2 Submission Deadline for Documents
5. Notification of Receipt of Proposal
6. Notification of Review Results
7. Publication of Research Results
8. Experiment Summary Report
9. Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application Report/Industrial Application Proposal Report
10. Fees
   10.1 Beamtime Fee
   10.2 Program fee
   10.3 User Fees
11. Others
   11.1 Intellectual Property Rights
   11.2 Bioethics and Safety
   11.3 Protection of Human Rights and Interests
   11.4 Switch from Non-Proprietary to Proprietary Research
12. Advance Notice of Call for Proposals 2018A Third Period
13. Consultation
14. Contact/Submissions

1. Beamlines and the Number of Shifts Available to Users
  Research Period: from late May to early July 2018 (2nd period of 2018A)

Please click on the links to see specifications and the status of experimental stations. If you have questions about the experimental stations, please contact the beamline scientist of the desired beamline(s) before applying for beamtime. To see what kinds of experiments have been performed at SPring-8, please refer to the SPring-8 Solution Database.

IMPORTANT: Beamtime schedule for successful proposals will be coordinated from around April 16 to 24, so please pay attention to contact from JASRI during that period.

2. Outline of Proposals Invited

2.1 Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application
Recently, several synchrotron radiation facilities intended for industrial applications have been established in Japan and, therefore, the opportunity to use synchrotron radiation for industrial applications has markedly increased. Along with this increase in opportunity, meeting the needs of users in industrial circles in terms of the performance and system of use of each facility has become more and more important. However, the users of each facility tend to be the same and may have not fully utilized the characteristics of the facilities yet. For the purpose of carrying out experiments at SPring-8 and other synchrotron radiation facilities, while fully utilizing their characteristics and deepening and enhancing their achievements, JASRI is calling for Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application.

2.1.1 Eligibility
On the basis of the experimental results obtained at synchrotron radiation facilities other than SPring-8 in Japan, we will review the proposals for industrial applications that are suitable to be carried out at SPring-8. Therefore, the experiments related to a proposal should have been approved or performed at domestic facilities other than SPring-8 at the time of application.

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 (See 2.2).

2.1.2 Important Notes
You cannot submit the same application as a General Proposal. If your Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application is rejected, it will be reviewed as a General Proposal for Industrial Application.
Your application must include at least one person out of a project leader and project team members who is an employee of a private company or related institution. Related institutions by our definition are (1) public testing laboratories, and (2) incorporated foundations/associations whose main business are contract services of experiments/researches for private companies.
Note 1: We categorize national/private universities, independent administrative institutions, special public corporations, and public corporations as neither (1) nor (2).
Note 2: JASRI falls into neither (1) nor (2).
If you are not sure that your research group will meet this requirement, please contact the Industrial Application Division (see 13. Consultation).

[Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer]
(a) If you have already carried out experiment at SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer applications, or (b) If you plan to apply for SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer at the same time as SPring-8, please make sure to clearly indicate your complementary use in your application following the instructions given in "3. Application Method (Important Notes about Information Required on the Application)" of "Call for 2018A SPring-8 Research Proposals in Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer," so your proposal will be reviewed accordingly.

2.1.3 Proposal Review
The submitted proposals are evaluated by the SPring-8 Proposal Review Committee (PRC) consisting of experts from industry and academia, and proposals that are rated excellent in light of the aims of the Cross-SR Facility Use for Industrial Application program are selected. The review sessions are closed to the public; however, we make sure that a reviewer having interests in 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 and ethics of the experiment

2.2 General Proposal (Industrial Applications only)
This program is aimed at non-proprietary General Proposals for Industrial Application research, which are accepted only at the Engineering Science Research Beamlines I, II and III (BL19B2, BL14B2 and BL46XU).

[Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer]
(a) If you have already carried out experiment at SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer applications, or (b) If you plan to apply for SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer at the same time as SPring-8, please make sure to clearly indicate your complementary use in your application following the instructions given in "3. Application Method (Important Notes about Information Required on the Application)" of "Call for 2018A SPring-8 Research Proposals in Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer," so your proposal will be reviewed accordingly.

2.2.1 Requirements
Your application must include at least one person out of a project leader and project team members who is an employee of a private company or related institution. Related institutions by our definition are (1) public testing laboratories, and (2) incorporated foundations/associations whose main business are contract services of experiments/researches for private companies.
Note 1: We categorize national/private universities, independent administrative institutions, special public corporations, and public corporations as neither (1) nor (2).
Note 2: JASRI falls into neither (1) nor (2).
If you are not sure that your research group will meet this requirement, please contact the Industrial Application Division (see 13. Consultation).

2.2.2 Proposal Review
The scientific and technological significance, the necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, technical feasibility, safety and ethics are comprehensively reviewed. If the research area of your proposal is Industrial Applications, the review of the 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.

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

2.3 Budding Researchers Support Proposal (Industrial Applications only)
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 graduate students with an exploratory and original research proposal or research theme.

2.3.1 Eligibility
At the time of experiment at the SPring-8, you must be either
a) Ph.D. students or
b) Master’s students, who will be PhD. students.
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 SPring-8.

2.3.2 Important Notes
Users must maintain their student status at the time of experiment. Otherwise, users are required to carry out their approved Budding Researchers Support Proposals as General Proposals and are no longer eligible for reimbursement of domestic travel and lodging expenses. If you have graduated from school/taken a job and will no longer be a student at the time of experiment, you must report to the Users Office (see 14. Contact/Submissions). Failing to do so may result in you having to refund the amount paid to you.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the SPring-8 Users Office at sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp.

2.4 Proprietary General Proposal
Users have no obligation to publish their research results. In return, proprietary users are required to pay the fee for the beamtime used (480,000 yen/shift).

2.4.1 Required Document
Applicants are required to submit a "Proprietary Use Agreement for Public Beamline" after online proposal application. Please download an Agreement (PDF form), obtain signature of the personnel in charge of the payment, and send it to the Users Office by post by Tuesday March 27, 2018.

2.4.2 Proposal Review
Submitted proposals are subject to a simplified review process (reviewed only from the viewpoint of technical feasibility, safety and ethics).

2.5 Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal
The Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Program is intended for research proposals that require the use of SPring-8 and have already been reviewed and approved for a research grant. Proposals with a research grant designed to train young researchers are also invited. Applicants are required to pay the program fee of 131,000 yen/shift (incl. tax). The payment must be made to the designated bank account after the experiment is completed.

2.5.1 Eligibility
Applicants need to have:
a. obtained a research grant (see the applicable grant programs below) through an open and transparent review process, or
b. received an allotment from a person who has obtained a research grant.
Note: the size of the grant should not matter.

Applicable grant programs* are as follows:
• competitive research grant programs administered by the Japanese Government Ministries (Grants-In-Aid for Scientific Research funded by MEXT, Science and Technology Promotion Adjustment Funds of MEXT, etc.)
• competitive research grant programs administered by the Japanese Independent Administrative Agencies such as Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), etc.

*In principle, programs on the Comprehensive List of Competitive Funds posted by the Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office, are considered the applicable grant programs. Click here to see the list (PDF).

2.5.2 Important Notes
- Proposals with college/university grants, private grants, and grants from abroad are not accepted.
- If the program's research purpose is irrelevant to your research purpose specified in your application for SPring-8 beamtime, your proposal will be disqualified.
- Before making an application, please contact the Beamline Scientist and estimate the number of required shifts.
- Make sure to provide in the online application form the information about the competitive research grants: name of the competitive grants program, name of the organization inviting applications for the program, name and outline of the project for the program, name of the project leader, project period, amount of the grants, etc.
- In the case of a long-term grant program requiring beamtime in more than one research term, an application needs to be made every half-year research term.

2.5.3 Required Documents
- SPring-8 Program Fee Payment Agreement/Supplementary Information
Please download an agreement/check sheet (PDF form) from the UI site, provide all the required information and send it to the Users Office by post (see 14. Contact/Submissions) by Tuesday, March 20, 2018.
- Research purpose and research plan
Please make a copy of the relevant pages from your grant application and send it to the Users Office by post or courier by Tuesday, March 20, 2018. You can also convert the file to PDF and send it via email.

2.5.4 Proposal Review
Under the program, the proposals will be granted an exemption from scientific review process; only the necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, technical feasibility, safety and ethics are comprehensively reviewed. The beamtime for this program is limited to 20% of user beamtime allocated to each beamline. The maximum beamtime allocated to each proposal is half the limit above. In the event that the total beamtime shifts required by all the approved proposals exceed the beamtime available to this program, approved proposals are prioritized in order of the size of the grant amount. Please note, however, that this criterion does not apply when there is little likelihood that reasonable results will be delivered in contrast with the amount of allocated beamtime; the Proposal Review Committee determines which proposals are given priority.

3. Proposal Submission

3.1 Online Proposal Application
Applicants/project leaders are required to submit proposals online through the web-based proposal submission system. First, login 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, she/he must login to the project leader's account. In this case, the project leader is responsible for managing his/her account information. Before starting the application process, project leaders must make sure that all project team members have completed user registration.

- Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application (Download a MS Word format template.)
User Information Website (UI site) > Log in to My Page > Proposal/Use Plan Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research ---> Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application > New

- General Proposals (Industrial Applications only) (Download a MS Word format template.)
User Information Website (UI site) > Log in to My Page > Proposal/Use Plan Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research ---> General Proposal for Industrial Application

- Budding Researchers Support Proposals (Industrial Applications only) (Download a MS Word format template.)
User Information Website (UI site) > Log in to My Page > Proposal/Use Plan Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research ---> Budding Researchers Support Proposal for Industrial Application

- Proprietary General Proposals (Download a MS Word format template.)
User Information Website (UI site) > Log in to My Page > Proposal/Use Plan Submission > New > Proprietary Research ---> General Proposal

- Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposals (Download a MS Word format template.)
UI site > Log in to My Page > Proposal/Use Plan Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research ---> Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal

Important Notes
a. Use of Multiple Beamlines
Applicants wishing to use more than one beamline must submit a separate application for each beamline. Submitting multiple applications is not treated adversely if it is deemed appropriate to use more than one beamline. In such a case, applicants may use the same wording in the abstract page of the applications.

b. Project Leader
A project leader is the person who will assume overall responsibility throughout the experiment at SPring-8. The project leader and the person who is responsible for the research may not be the same person. Likewise, the project leader need not be the first author for SPring-8-related publications.

c. Publications
List the project leader's publications (e.g. papers, patent applications, conference presentations, newspaper articles, etc.) with abstracts associated with the proposed research in chronological order with the most recent first. List as many as space permits. If there are none, please write "none."

d. High Pressure Gas Cylinder
If you wish to bring in a high-pressure gas cylinder, please make sure to provide all required information in the online application:
[Known Safety Hazards & Measures to Be Taken]
"Does your proposed research involve any of the following?" > Check the box for "High pressure gas cylinder." Then, fill out the "Details of samples" table properly. Please be advised that if you attempt to bring in a high-pressure gas cylinder without providing the required information in the application, there may be restrictions on the cylinder to be brought into the site during the administrative procedures required by the High Pressure Gas Safety Act.

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

3.2 Document Submission
In addition to the online application, document submission is required of Budding Researchers Support Proposals, Proprietary General Proposals and Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposals. For details, please refer to each proposal's instructions.

4. Deadlines

4.1 Submission Deadline for Online Proposals
- Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposals
    Thursday, March 20, 2018, 10:00 am (Japan time)

- Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application
- General Proposals (Industrial Applications only)
- Budding Researchers Support Proposals (Industrial Applications only)
- Proprietary General Proposals
    Thursday, March 27, 2018, 10:00 am (Japan time)

To avoid last-minute technical problems and possible network congestion caused by heavy online 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/Submissions) before the deadline.

4.2 Submission Deadline for Documents
- Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application
No accompanying documents are necessary.

- General Proposals (Industrial Applications only)
No accompanying documents are necessary.

- Budding Researchers Support Proposals (Industrial Applications only)
Upon successful online proposal submission, you will receive a confirmation email attached with a copy of the Agreement (Rules for Users) in PDF format. Please make sure to print out the Agreement, have it signed by the project leader and their Ph.D. advisor, and send it to the Users Office by post no later than Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

- Proprietary General Proposals
Proprietary Use Agreement for Public Beamline: Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

- Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal
SPring-8 Program Fee Payment Agreement/Supplementary Information, and research purpose and research plan: Tuesday, March 20, 2018

5. Notification of Receipt of Proposal

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 confirmation within a reasonable time, please login to the proposal system and check if your proposal has been submitted.

6. Notification of Review Results

Applicants will be notified of the review results by late-April 2018.

7. Publication of Research Results (All Non-Proprietary Proposals)

You are mandated to (1) publish your research outcomes from the use of SPring-8 in a refereed journal or equivalent, e.g., refereed proceedings, and dissertations, and then (2) register the publications with the Publications Database within three years after the end of the research term. In case the proposed research does not result in a refereed journal, you have two options to publish your research results in (a) a SPring-8/SACLA Research Report (SRR) or (b) a technical journal. Your SRR manuscript will be peer-reviewed by JASRI’s SPring-8/SACLA Research Results Review Committee in terms of quantity, quality and integrity of the information provided. Please note that the technical journal needs to have been accredited by the committee beforehand.

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

For details, click here.

8. Experiment Summary Report (All Non-Proprietary Proposals)

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.

9. Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application Report (CSFPR)/Industrial Application Proposal Report (IAPR) (Non-Proprietary General Proposal for Industrial Applications)

In order to efficiently promote industrial researches at SPring-8, we will ask for your contribution to the CSFPRs/IAPRs summarizing the outcomes from your individual Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application/General Proposal for Industrial Application. We will accept an e-copy of the report preferably in MS-Word format by email or post. For details, please click here.

After an editorial review, not peer-reviews, by coordinators in charge, every report will be made available online and in print later than six months after the end of the research term. You will have a good chance to present your research outcomes at SPring-8 Industrial Application Symposium to be scheduled after the CSFPRs/IAPRs have been accumulated to a certain number. Besides, we may ask for your permission to appropriately utilize your research outcomes for our PR purposes.

[Relation between Cross-SR Facility Use Proposals for Industrial Application Report (CSFPR)/Industrial Application Proposal Report (IAPR) and SPring-8/SACLA Research Report (SRR)]
An CSFPR/IAPR does not fall into any type of “publications” defined in “7. Publication of Research Results.” Examples of “publications” are a scientific paper in refereed journals, refereed proceedings, the SRRs, and technical journals. If you wish to publish your research outcomes in the SRRs, you need to notify the Users Office of your will when you submit an CSFPR/IAPR. In this case, your CSFPR/IAPR will not be issued as an original one. The SRR will be reprinted in an issue of the CSFPRs/IAPRs instead of your original CSFPR/IAPR. We do not treat your CSFPR/IAPR in this way without (a) your notification to the Users Office upon the submission or (b) your submission for the SRR by the date of issue of the CSFPRs/IAPRs.

10. Fees

10.1 Beamtime Fee (Proprietary General Proposals only)
480,000 yen/shift (incl. tax)
For the other four types of proposals, users are exempt from paying the beamtime fee.

10.2 Program Fee (Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposals only)
131,000 yen/shift (incl. tax)

10.3 User Fees
Users are required to pay the fees to cover the costs of beamline maintenance/operation and consumables actually used (user fees). User fees are composed of a fixed fee charged for wear and tear on the facility and a variable fee charged for liquid He etc.

Important: Supported by the Government's treasury, 2018A non-proprietary beamtime users affiliated with organizations outside Japan are exempt from paying the user fees within the limits of the budget. As for Budding Researchers Support Proposals, JASRI will cover the user fees and the domestic travel expenses including the SPring-8 Guest House lodging expenses for two people (the project leader and a student/project team member) within the limits of the budget. Please note that the variable fee is not always covered when it exceeds the limits of the budget.

Click here for more details.

11. Others

11.1 Intellectual Property Rights
Any intellectual property rights arising 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 13. Consultation).

11.2 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.

11.3 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.

11.4 Switch from Non-Proprietary to Proprietary Research
You may request to switch the research type of your approved General Proposal* from non-proprietary to proprietary within 60 days of the completion of the experiment or the end of the fiscal year (the end of March), whichever comes first. For details, click here.
*As for other types of proposals, the switch is not allowed.

12. Advance Notice of Call for Proposals 2018A Third Period

The deadline for proposals, including Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal, to be carried out during the third period of 2018A is scheduled at late May 2018.

13. Consultation

The coordinators of Industrial Application Division 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 (for questions about online proposal submission)/Submissions

SPring-8 Users Office/JASRI
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)791-58-0961
E-mail: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp