Contents
1. What is Long-term Program?
2. Research Period
3. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users
4. Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2012A
5. Application Procedures
   5.1 User Registration
   5.2 Proposal Submission
6. Submission Deadline: November 25, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan Time)
7. Proposal Review Process
8. Notification of Review Results
9. Report Submission
10. Dissemination of Research Results
11. Interim and Post Project Reviews
12. User Fees
13. 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 2012A through 2014B (Interim review: after 2013A, post project review: after 2014B)

3. Beamlines and Beamtime Available to Users

Twenty-five public beamlines (all public beamlines excluding BL46XU*) 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.

*2012A only

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. Application Procedures

5.1 User Registration (Not Required of Repeat Users)
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.

Note: Registration information is also used for contact. If your registration details change, please update your account from the User Information Website (UI site)

UI site > My Page (login required) > "Edit My Details" link in the top right hand corner

5.2 Proposal Submission
Applicants/project leaders are required to submit proposals online through the UI site. To have your user account activated, contact the SPring-8 Users Office in advance.

UI site > Log in to My Page > Proposal Submission > New > Non-Proprietary Research > Long-term Proposal

Log in to My Page with your user card ID number and password. Please note that only the project leaders 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.

For instructions on how to fill out an application form, click here.

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.

[Important Notes about Information Required on the Application]
- Project Leader
A project leader is a person who will assume overall responsibility throughout the experiment at SPring-8.

- Type of Application
Be sure to select "New."

- Number of Shifts Requested
Generally, beamtime is allocated in increments of three shifts (8 hrs/shift). Please note that you may be allocated less beamtime than you requested. If you need assistance in calculating how many shifts are necessary for your research, please contact the Beamline Scientist.

- Publication
Please be sure to provide the list of publications with abstracts in chronological order - most recent first: please list as many as space permits.

6. Submission Deadline

Friday, November 25, 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 13. 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 Monday, December 19, 2011* at SPring-8; 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 December 2011
(Only shortlisted applicants will be notified of the time for the interview.)

Final review results: mid-February 2012

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 click here.

10. Dissemination of Research Results

[Within three years from the end of each half-year research period]
Publish your research results in refereed journals or equivalent, in which the proposal number is specified, and register the published works 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 submit a SPring-8 Research Report.

One publication is required for one proposal as a general rule. If it is necessary to carry out two or more proposals for one publication and when it is deemed appropriate to do so, an exception will be made. In such cases, the three-year deadline is counted from the end of the first research term.

[Every year]
Make a poster presentation at the SPring-8 Conference, which is held once a year.

[Upon completion of the 3-year project]
- The results of the post project review will be published in the SPring-8 Information.
- Make a presentation or poster presentation on the project at the SPring-8 Conference.

[On an as-needed basis]
Register your results when they are published.

To register, please go to:
UI site > Log in to My Page > Application/Reporting > After Experiment > Publications Entry

For instructions on how to register, please click here.

11. Interim and Post Project Reviews

[Interim Review]
A closed-door interim review is conducted by the Proposal Review Committee (PRC) after one and a half year has passed since the start of the project; and whether to continue or discontinue the project is determined based on the progress report and interview.

[Post Project Review]
A closed-door post project review is conducted by the PRC upon completion of the project based on a Long-term Project Report and presentation on the project.

12. User Fees

Public beamline 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 stationery.

　　Fixed Fee: 10,300 yen/shift
　　Variable Fee: calculated based on the amount actually used

Click here for more details.

13. 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