Contents
1. What is Long-term Program?
2. Research Period
3. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2011B
5. Proposal Submission
6. Submission Deadline: June 16, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan Time)
7. Proposal Review Process
8. Notification of Review Results
9. Report Submission
10. Dissemination of Research Results
11. User Fees
12. 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 of 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.

2. Research Period

         From 2011B through 2014A (Interim review: after 2012B)

3. Beamlines and Beamtime 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 2011B

For several bunch modes, click here.

5. Proposal Submission

Please first carefully read the "Call for 2011B 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.

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

To avoid losing work in the event of a browser crash or unexpected logout, you are strongly encouraged to draft your application offline first using a MS Word template downloadable from here

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

6. Submission Deadline

Thursday, June 16, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan Time)

To avoid last minute technical problems and possible network congestion caused by heavy traffic, 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.

UI site > Log in to My Page > Proposal Submission > Submitted

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 Q & A session) is scheduled for July 21, 2011*; please prepare your presentation on your long-term proposal well in advance.

*The date is subject to change depending on the number of applications received.

8. Notification of Review Results

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

Application screening result: early July 2011
(Only shortlisted applicants will be notified of the time for the interview.)

Final review results: late August 2011

9. Report Submission

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 refer to 1.5 Matters of Particular Importance of the "Call for 2011B SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."

10. Dissemination of Research Results

Refereed Journal Article (every term):
Publish your research in a refereed journal or equivalent and register the publication with the SPring-8 Publications Database.

Poster Presentation (every year):
Make a poster presentation at the SPring-8 Conference held annually.

Interim Report (at the end of the 3rd term):
Submit an interim report for the interim review.

Publications (as needed):
Register the published papers with the SPring-8 Publications Database.

Post-Project Report (upon completion of the 3-year proposal):
Submit a post-project report for the post-project review.

SPring-8 Information (upon completion of the 3-year proposal):
Submit a manuscript for inclusion in SPring-8 Information (quarterly online magazine).

Oral Presentation (upon completion of the 3-year proposal):
Make an oral presentation at the SPring-8 Conference.

11. User Fees

For information about the User Fees, read the "Call for 2011B SPring-8 Research Proposals - Overview -."

Click here for more details.

12. 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