Contents
1. What is Long-term Program?
2. Research Period
3. Beamlines Available to Users
4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2010A
5. Proposal Submission
6. Submission Deadline: November 26, 10:00 am (JST)
7. Proposal Review Process
8. Notification of Review Results
9. User Fees
10. Contact

1. What is Long-term Program?

The system for the long-term use of beamline, under which three-year beam access is guaranteed, is intended to promote research that are expected to produce outstanding results in the field of science and technology, pave the way for new research areas and new research methodology, and contribute to a notable improvement of technology for industrial base by fully utilizing the SPring-8 characteristics.

Unlike general proposals, long-term proposals need to go through a two-stage review process (application screening and interview) and the interim review is conducted one and a half years after the start of the project period and decisions are made regarding the continuation or termination of the project for the third year. Please note that research results must be made available to the public; users are required to report the progress and results of their research in public appearances. Please also note that the title and overview of the proposed research and the name of the project leader will be disclosed when the proposal is selected.

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Please prepare your proposal application using the following guidelines and instructions. (Click here to download a working copy of the online application form.)

2. Research Period

From 2010A through 2012B (Interim review: after 2011A)

3. Beamlines Available to Users

Twenty-six public beamlines are available to users. Please check beamline specifications at http://www.spring8.or.jp/en/facilities/bl/list/ before applying for beamtime. Please note that the maximum available beamtime per proposal is 16% of beamtime shifts allocated to each beamline.

4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2010A

For several bunch modes, click here.

5. Proposal Submission

Please first carefully read the "Call for 2010A SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."
Then, contact the SPring-8 Users Office in advance to have your user account activated.

Applicants/project leaders are required to submit proposals online through the web-based proposal submission system. First, 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 > Long-term 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.

6. Submission Deadline

Thursday, November 26, 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 10. 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.

UI site > Login > Proposal Submission

7. Proposal Review Process

Review Process:
Applicants will go through a two-step review process; application forms are reviewed initially and applicants who meet certain criteria will proceed to the interview.

Review Criteria:
In addition to the criteria for general proposals, the Proposal Review Committee (PRC) also considers the following.
1. The proposal has clear scientific objectives and research plans.
2. The long-term and organized use of SPring-8 will contribute to:
  a. delivering outstanding results in the field of science and technology,
  b. developing a new research area or a new experimental method, and
  c. significantly improving industrial base technology.

The interview (30-min presentation and 30-min question-and-answer session) is scheduled for the 3rd week of December 2009; please prepare your presentation on your long-term proposal well in advance.

8. Notification of Review Results

Applicants will be notified of application screening/interview results in writing as scheduled below.

Application screening result: on or about December 8, 2009
(Only those selected for an interview will be notified of the time for the interview.)

Interview result: mid-February 2010

9. 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, He gas, and the stockroom reagents, parts, and stationeries.

Important: Supported by the Government's treasury, users affiliated with organizations outside Japan have been exempt from paying the user fees; at this point, however, it is uncertain if we will be able to obtain the necessary funding for 2010A.

Click here for more details.

10. Contact:

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