[Contents]

1. 2011B User Operation
   1.1 Beamtime Available to Users in 2011B: 174 shifts
   1.2 Types of Research and Proposals Available for 2011B Beamtime and Submission Deadlines (Japan Time)

   1.3 Beamlines Available for 2011B Beamtime
   1.4 Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2011B
   1.5 Matters of Particular Importance

2. Requirements
   2.1 User Registration
   2.2 Application for Beamtime
   2.3 Radiation Worker Registration
   2.4 Other

3. Fees (Tax Included)
   3.1 Beamtime Fee
   3.2 User Fees

4. Contact

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1. 2011B User Operation

1.1 Beamtime Available to Users
Beamtime shifts available for 2011B (from October 2011 through February 2012) will be 174 shifts.
For details, please refer to the call for proposals of your choice. Please note that the shifts allocated to each type of proposals are subject to change without notice due to budgetary reasons.

1.2 Types of Research and Proposals Available for 2011B Beamtime and Submission Deadlines (Japan Time)
[Types of Research]
There are two types of research available at the SPring-8: proprietary and non-proprietary research. Users can use beamlines free of charge if their research is non-proprietary. For research to be considered non-proprietary, users are required to make their research results available to the public through refereed journals or equivalent. As for proprietary research, the research proposals are reviewed only from the viewpoint of feasibility, safety, sociality, and ethics. In this type of research, users are charged beamtime fee of 480,000 yen/shift based on cost recovery for the SPring-8 beamline operation. In return, users are not required to make their research results publicly available.

If you are a PhD student* and wish to apply for beamtime (submit a proposal as a project leader), Budding Researchers Support Proposal is your only choice; as a project team member, you can participate in any research projects.
* You may be a master student at the time of proposal submission.

[Types of Proposals Available for 2011B Beamtime and Submission Deadlines (Japan Time)]
Click on the link to see the call for proposals.

- General Proposal:     A signed Proprietary Use Agreement for Public Beamline      (proprietary research only) must be received by July 7, 2011.	June 30, 2011, 10:00 am
- Nanotechnology Support/Nanonet Support Proposal:	June 30, 2011, 10:00 am
- Industrial Application Proposal:	June 30, 2011, 10:00 am
- Budding Researchers Support Proposal:     A signed Agreement must be received by July 7, 2011.	June 30, 2011, 10:00 am
- Green/Life Innovation Proposal:	June 30, 2011, 10:00 am
- Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal:     A signed SPring-8 Program Fee Payment Agreement/Confirmation Check     Sheet and research purpose/plan must be received by June 22, 2011.	June 15, 2011, 10:00 am
- Long-term Proposal:	June 16, 2011, 10:00 am

Click here for the description of each type of proposal.

1.3 Beamlines Available for 2011B Beamtime
Click here for the list of beamlines available for 2011B beamtime by type of proposal.

To check the specs of the beamlines, click here.

1.4 Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2011B
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."

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. 2011B, 2012B). In research term A (e.g. 2012A , 2013A), D and E-modes will be 1/7-filling + 5 bunches and, 2/29-filling + 26 bunches, respectively. For details, click here.

1.5 Matters of Particular Importance
• Experiment Summary Report
From 2011B, to ensure transparency of the non-proprietary research programs, users are required to submit an Experiment Summary Report* online within 60 days after their experiment.

*Experiment Summary Report
  Length: up to one A4 page
  Language: English or Japanese
  Required Information: purpose, experimental method, experimental data, samples, and summary of the results.
  Due to the revision, the existing Experiment Report will be abolished at the end of 2011A.
In addition, research results must be published within three years as outlined below.

• Revised Definition of "Dissemination of Research Results"
From 2011B, research results obtained through the use of SPring-8 must be disseminated within three years from the end of the half-year research term in one of the following three formats:

1. Refereed journal papers incl. refereed proceedings and dissertations (Proposal No. must be specified).
2. SPring-8 Research Report*
3. Corporate technical journal articles (industrial applications only)**

*SPring-8 Research Report
- Sufficient information on experiment results must be provided.
- One report is required for one proposal.
- Must be written in English or Japanese.
- Length should be between 2-3 A4 pages.
- In the case of unsuccessful experiments or results falling short of expectations, provide the details of and insights into possible reasons for such results.
- Subject to review by the JASRI's SPring-8 Research Results Review Panel.

**Corporate Technical Journal Article (industrial applications)
- The JASRI’s SPring-8 Research Results Review Panel will review the adequacy and quality of the information provided.

• Switch from Non-Proprietary to Proprietary Research
From 2011B, users may request to switch the research type from non-proprietary to proprietary within 60 days after the completion of the experiment or the end of the fiscal year (the end of March), whichever comes first, if their proposals have been submitted, reviewed and approved as general proposals. After all the necessary procedures have been completed, an invoice for the proprietary beamtime fee will be sent out shortly.

Please note that this does not apply to long-term, budding researchers support, urgent, non-proprietary grant-aided, and priority research (nanotechnology/nanonet support, industrial application, green/life innovation) proposals.

• New Program Launched: Green/Life Innovation Proposal
The Green/Life Innovation Program is launched in 2011B to strategically support the innovation promotion in research focused on "Green Innovation" and "Life Innovation." For details about the call for Green/Life Innovation proposals, click here.

• Termination of Priority Research Programs
The industrial application program is to be terminated at the end of 2011B. The next and final call for proposals (the second half of 2011B) will close in fall 2011. The nanotechnology/nanonet support program is to be terminated at the end of 2011B as well.

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2. Requirements

2.1 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 any of your registration information changes, you must update it from the UI site.

     Front Page > Log in to My Page > "Edit My Details" link in the top right hand corner

2.2 Application for Beamtime
Applicants/project leaders are required to submit proposals online from the User Information website (UI site) through the web-based proposal submission system.

UI site: http://user.spring8.or.jp/en/

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 leaders can submit proposals: if a project team member needs to submit a proposal in place of the project leader, s/he 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.

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 click here.

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

b. Application Type (New/Continuation)
Choose "Continuation" if you were unable to finish your experiment in the previous research term for compelling reasons, and wish to continue the experiment. When you wish to continue research after using up all the beamtime allocated in the previous research term, please choose "New."

c. Use of Multiple Beamlines
Applicants wishing to use more than one beamline must submit a separate application for each beamline. Submitting multiple applications does not work against applicants if it is deemed appropriate to use more than one beamline. In such case, applicants may use the same wording in the abstract page of the applications.

d. Number of Shifts Required (8 hrs/shift)
Generally, beamtime is allocated in increments of 3 shifts. In view of effective allocation of beamtime and expected increase of proposals, however, non-proprietary beamtime for BL38B1 (Structural Biology III), BL41XU (Structural Biology I), and BL32XU (RIKEN Targeted Proteins) can be made available to users in increments of 1.5 shifts (Note that you may not be awarded the same amount of beamtime that you requested). If you need assistance in calculating how many shifts are necessary for your research, please contact the Beamline Scientist.

e. List of SPring-8 Publications (Repeat Users Only)
Please be sure to provide the list of publications with brief descriptions in chronological order - most recent first: please list as many as space permits.

2.3 Radiation Worker Registration
The Japanese Law (Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards) requires all SPring-8 users to be registered as SPring-8 radiation workers. To complete your registration, please download a "Radiation Worker Registration Form (Form 5-1)" in fillable PDF format from the UI site, fill out and send it by post at least two weeks before your visit. Once registered, submission of this form is not required for return visits within the same fiscal year (from April 1 to March 31 of the following year).

2.4 Other
- Safety Precaution
For your safety, do not work alone. Please include your project team member in the online proposal application and make sure to work in a group of two or more.
- Cancellation of Beamtime
Please be advised that your scheduled beamtime may be cancelled in emergencies such as equipment failure, natural disaster, pandemic, etc. In such cases, users cannot claim compensation for the lost beamtime.

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3. Fees (Tax Included)

Fees for public beamline use and user fees are summarized in the Table 3. Fees for Public Beamline Use & User Fees.

3.1 Beamtime Fee
[Non-proprietary Research]
Free of charge
Note: From 2011B, for research to be considered non-proprietary, users are required to disseminate their research results through refereed journals or equivalent and register the results with the SPring-8 Publications Database within three years from the end of the half-year research term. For details, please refer to the Revised Definition of "Dissemination of Research Results."

[Proprietary Research]
Regular Use: 480,000 yen/shift (8 hours)
Time-Designated Use: 720,000 yen (regular fee + 50% premium)/shift (8 hours)

3.2 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

Important: Supported by the Government's treasury, budding researchers support proposals and non-proprietary proposals submitted by users affiliated with institutions outside Japan are exempt from paying user fees.

Click here for more details.

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4. Contact

SPring-8 Users Office, User Administration Division
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 JAPAN
Tel : +81-791-58-0961     Fax : +81-791-58-0965
Email: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp

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