SPring-8, the large synchrotron radiation facility

The Priority Nanotechnology Support Program administered by the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) and the Nanotechnology Researchers Network Project for the Innovation Support Program administered by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) intend to support research in the field of nanotechnology and nano-materials for innovation creation in 5-10 years time. Please note that under the programs targeting the specific research, only non-proprietary research is available. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Please prepare your proposal application using the following guidelines and instructions.

1. Research Subjects

Priority Fields
[NF1] Future magnetic recording materials
[NF2] Energy conversion and/or storage materials
[NF3] Nanoelectronics materials
New Fields
[NA1] New functional nanoparticles
[NA2] New functional nanolayers
[NA3] New interdisciplinary nanotechnology researches
[NA4] New nanoscale measurement techniques

2. Beamlines and the Number of Shifts Available to Users

[Research Period]
From October 2009 through March 2010

[Priority Nanotechnology Support Proposals (Public Beamlines)]

[Nanonet Support Proposals (Contract Beamlines)]
Prior consultation is required before submitting nanonet support proposals. Please contact and consult with the personnel in charge of each beamline.

For details about each beamline, please click here:

Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2009B
  A-mode: 203 bunches
  B-mode: 4-bunch train x 84
  C-mode: 11-bunch train x 29
  D-mode*: 1/14-filling + 12 bunches
  E-mode*: 4/58-filling + 53 bunches

* The filling modes of D and E-modes operated in research term B (e.g. 2009B, 2010B). In research term A (e.g. 2010A, 2011A), D and E-modes will be 1/7-filling + 5 bunches and, 2/29-filling + 26 bunches, respectively. For details, click here.

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."

3. Proposal Submission

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 > Nanotechnology Support Proposal or Nanonet Support 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.

In addition to the information required of general proposals, applicants of nanotechnology-related proposals are required to provide the research subject, the significance of the proposal in the field of nanotechnology research, and the specific field(s) of science, technology, or industry that is (are) expected to be developed through the conduct of proposed research.

Before applying for beamtime, please check the status of experimental stations. If you have any questions, please contact the beamline scientist of the desired beamline or the Nanotechnology Research Promotion Group if you are not sure what beamline is best suited for your research (see 8. Consultation).

Important Note about Multiple Applications:
You can submit the same application as a general proposal as well. In such case, please make sure that this is clearly stated in the second box of the "Abstract" page on the online application form. If either of your nanotechnology proposal or general proposal is adopted, the other proposal is rejected. Please note, however, that a proposal with the same application details may not be submitted as a priority proposal (e.g. industrial application proposal, medical bio trial use proposal). If multiple applications for nanotechnology proposal and other priority proposal are found, both proposals will be disqualified.

4. Submission Deadline

Thursday, June 25, 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 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.

Deadline for Proposals 2010A (next half-year research term):
Deadline for 2010A proposals (first half of fiscal 2010) is scheduled for early December 2009.

5. Proposal Review Process

Review Criteria:
Just as general proposals, scientific and technological significance, necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, technical feasibility, and safety of the experiment are fully peer reviewed. In addition, scientific and technological significance as a nanotechnology proposal and research strategies are considered as well.

Notification of Review Results:
Applicants will be notified of the review results in writing mid-August 2009.

6. Required Reports

After the experiment is completed, project leaders are required to submit the "Experiment Report for Nanotechnology Research" (2 pages of A4 paper) as well as the "SPring-8 Experiment Report."

Two weeks after the deadline for all Experiment Report submissions (60 days + two weeks after the end of each half-year research term), experiment reports with database search functions are made available to the public on the UI site. Please also be sure to disseminate your research results through publication in peer-reviewed journals, oral conference presentations, etc. and register the results with the SPring-8 Publications Database as soon as they are published.

7. 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.

    Fixed Fee: 10,300 yen/shift (8 hours) incl. tax
    Variable Fee: calculated based on the amount actually used

Important: Supported by the Government's treasury, 2009B users affiliated with organizations outside Japan are exempt from paying the user fees.

Click here for more details.

8. Consultation

The Nanotechnology Research Promotion Group is available for consultation on a variety of nanotechnology experiments using synchrotron radiation. You are welcome to send your questions directly to nano_tech@spring8.or.jp.

9. Other

The Priority Nanotechnology Support Program and the Nanotechnology Researchers Network Project for the Innovation Support Program are administered under the same rules. Since these two programs are conducted by different organizations, however, procedures for user fee collection may vary depending on the organization.

Contact (for questions about online proposal submission)

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