SPring-8 is now accepting non-proprietary proposals for 2011B using beamtime reserved for protein crystallography beamlines (RIKEN Structural Genomics Beamlines: BL26B1 and BL26B2). Interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Please prepare your proposal application using the following guidelines and instructions.

IMPORTANT:
Reserved beamtime has been additionally allocated at Structural Biology I Beamline (BL41XU), RIKEN Targeted Proteins Beamline (BL32XU), and RIKEN Structural Genomics Beamlines (BL26B1 and BL26B2) for 2011B during the period from mid-November 2011 through February 2012.

Qualification Requirements:

Proposal submission deadline is set for each beamtime period, so that we can allocate the reserved beamtime as soon as crystals are grown. To be eligible, applicants must:

1. have the on-site responsibility for conducting research at SPring-8;

2. have experience conducting research at one of the following SPring-8 protein crystallography beamlines: BL38B1, BL41XU, BL26B1, BL26B2, BL32XU
(Support from the beamline scientist is limited to the bare minimum.);

3. submit a Radiation Worker Registration Form (Form 5-1) at least one week before the experiment; and

4. consent not to make changes to the online "List of Samples, Reagents, etc." submitted at the time of proposal application. (due to lack of time to review the changes)

Application Procedures:

Applicants (project leaders) are required to submit proposals online through the web-based proposal submission system on the User Information website (UI site).

UI site: http://user.spring8.or.jp/?lang=en

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.

After logging in, click NEW (Application/Reporting > Proposal/Use Plan Submission). On the next page, select the appropriate type of research ("Non-Proprietary Research") and "General Proposal" and go on to the next page. Then, choose "Reserved Beamtime" for "Type of Application.” In the Basic Information page, make sure to choose the requested beamline and beamtime for "Reserved Beamtime"; e.g. BL26B1 (2011.10.12 10:00 - 2011.10.13 10:00) [3 shifts], and enter the requested number of shifts.

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

It is possible that the web browser crashes while working on an application, so you are strongly encouraged to draft your application offline first using a MS Word template.

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

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, please contact the SPring-8 Users Office (see Contact) before the deadline.

Upon successful submission, the applicant/project leader will receive a confirmation email with a copy of Agreement (Rules for Users) in PDF format attached to it.

Review Criteria
Scientific and technological significance, necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, feasibility and safety of the experiment, and ethics (e.g. exclusively for peaceful purposes) are fully peer reviewed.

Notification of Review Results
Applicants will be notified of the review results by phone or email one week before their beamtime. The results are also sent in writing at a later date.

Important Notes:

1. Be punctual and show up on time for the experiment. You may be requested to show up earlier to obtain instructions on how to use the beamline.

2. Conduct the beamline inspection together with the next user(s) when your beamtime is finished.

3. For details about the user fees, please click here.

4. You may want to submit more than one proposal just to be safe (because some of the deadlines are close to each other). If you wish to withdraw the other proposal(s) when any one of your proposals is approved, please so indicate in the box provided for the Abstract in the Abstract page of the application. (e.g. "If one of my proposals is approved for reserved beamtime, I would like to withdraw the other proposal applications.")

Contact:

SPring-8 Users Office, User Administration Division
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)
Fax: +81-(0)791-58-0965
email: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp