This call has been closed.

 Note 　Please ensure to refer to the List of Beamline Summaries before preparing application because there may be possible changes in available experimental devices at Beamlines due to replacements, removals and other reasons. In addition, prior consultation with Beamline scientist is essential for some Beamlines.

From 2019A, BL45XU is newly available as a public beamline and added to Macromolecular Crystallography Beamlines (PX-BLs), while BL38B1 becomes RIKEN Beamline and no longer available as PX-BLs. Accordingly, about 2 months of beamtime at BL45XU (111 shifts) is not available for users from the beginning of 2019A due to commissioning. In addition, there will be no beamtime available for users at BL05XU and BL38B1 in 2019A due to reconstruction works.

[Contents]

1. 2019A User Operation
   1.1 Beamtime Available to Users in 2019A: 279 shifts (tentative)
   1.2 Types of Research and Proposals Available for 2019A Beamtime and Submission Deadline for Online Proposals (Japan Time)

   1.3 Beamlines Available for 2019A Public Beamtime
   1.4 Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2019A
   1.5 Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer
   1.6 New Program launched: Industrial Application Proposals Using Advanced Technology
   1.7 Changes in Macromolecular Crystallography Beamlines (PX-BLs) and Beamtime Allocation at BL45XU
   1.8 Reconstruction Work at BL05XU and BL38B1
   1.9 Changes in Operation of Proprietary Proposals at PX-BLs
   1.10 Changes in Operation for Switching the Research Type from Non-Proprietary to Proprietary
   1.11 New Program will be launched (available from March 2019): Feasibility Study Proposals for Industrial Application

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

3. Fees (Tax Included)
   3.1 Beamtime Fee
   3.2 Program Fee for Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal
   3.3 User Fees

4. List of Beamline Summaries

5. Contact

1. 2019A User Operation

1.1 Beamtime Available to Users: 279 shifts (tentative)
279 beamtime shifts will be available for 2019A (from April to July 2019) but it may be reduced to 243 shifts at the lowest shifts. (2019A operation schedule is undecided at this time.)

1.2 Types of Research and Proposals Available for 2019A Beamtime and Online Submission Deadline for Online Proposals (Japan Time)
[Types of Research]
There are two types of research available at SPring-8: proprietary and non-proprietary research. Users are exempt from paying the beamtime fee 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. 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 a beamtime fee of 480,000 yen/shift based on cost recovery for SPring-8 beamline operation. In return, users are not required to make their research results publicly available.

If you are a doctoral student (at the time of experiment) and wish to apply for beamtime (submit a proposal as a project leader), the budding researchers support proposal is your only choice; as a project team member, you can participate in any research project.

[Types of Proposals Available for 2019A Beamtime and Submission Deadlines (Japan Time)]
Click on the link to see the call for proposals.

Table1. Types of Proposals Available for 2019A Beamtime

* Six times a year for the beamlines intended for industrial applications (BL14B2, BL19B2 and BL46XU)

1.3 Beamlines Available for 2019A Beamtime
Beamlines available for 2019A beamtime by type of proposal are listed below.

Table 2. Beamlines Available for 2019A Beamtime by Type of Proposal

For the specifications and status of experimental stations, please check the Beamline List and Table4. List of Beamline Summaries.

1.4 Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2019A

The several bunch modes scheduled for 2019A are as follows:
A-mode: 203 bunches
B-mode: 4-bunch train x 84
C-mode: 11-bunch train x 29
D-mode*: 1/7-filling + 5 bunches
E-mode*: 2/29-filling + 26 bunches
H-mode: 11/29-filling + 1 bunch

Please note that there may be a possibility that the operation in above Bunch Mode can not be provided depending on the Accelerator Status.

* The filling modes of D- and E-modes are operated only in research term A (e.g. 2019A, 2020A). In research term B (e.g. 2019B, 2020B), the F-mode (1/14-filling + 12 bunches)  and the G-mode (4/58-filling + 53 bunches) will be operated instead of the D- and E-modes. 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 other modes in the box provided for "Others."

1.5 Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer
To encourage research that is expected to produce excellent results more effectively through complementary use with J-PARC MLF (neutron facility) or the supercomputer (K) rather than when SPring-8 is used alone, we have been inviting SPring-8 proposals for such complementary use with either or both facilities since 2014A. SACLA has been added to those facilities for complementary use from 2017A. Available types of proposals and beamlines are as follows:

For details, please refer to the "Call for 2019A SPring-8 Research Proposals for Complementary Use with SACLA, J-PARC MLF or the K computer."

1.6 New Program launched: Industrial Application Proposals Using Advanced Technology
Industrial Application Using Advanced Technology Program is launched in 2019A to promote problem-solving and discovery of needs for new applications in industries by utilizing advanced measurement technologies that are new to project leader. For details, please refer to "Call for 2019A Industrial Application Proposals Using Advanced Technology ".

1.7 Changes in Macromolecular Crystallography Beamlines (PX-BLs) and Beamtime Allocation at BL45XU
From 2019A, BL45XU is newly available as a public beamline and added to Macromolecular Crystallography Beamlines (PX-BLs), while BL38B1 becomes RIKEN Beamline and no longer available as a PX-BL. About 2 months of beamtime at BL45XU, however, is not available for users from the beginning of 2019A due to commissioning.

1.8 Reconstruction Work at BL05XU and BL38B1
There will be no beamtime available for users at BL05XU and BL38B1 in 2019A due to reconstruction works. We appreciate your kind understanding.

1.9 Changes in Operation of Proprietary Proposals at PX-BLs
From 2015A, a flexible operation method has been adopted for non-proprietary proposals in the field of Life Science (L1)/Protein Crystal Analysis with the use of PX-BLs, the same operation method will be applied to proprietary proposals. For details, please click here.

1.10 Changes in Operation for Switching the Research Type from Non-Proprietary to Proprietary
Users may request the Users Office 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. Although whole allocated shifts were required to switch to proprietary until 2018B, users may do so by shift unit from 2019A.

1.11 New Program will be launched (available from March 2019): Feasibility Study Proposals for Industrial Application
Feasibility Study Proposals for Industrial Application (Proprietary Use Only) will be launched from 2019A for the purpose of promoting submission of research proposals from potential users of SPring-8. Details will become available in SPring-8 website in March 2019.

2. Requirements

2.1 User Registration (Not Required of Repeat Users)
To submit an application online, you must 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 > Search/Other > Edit My Details

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/?lang=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, she/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.

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

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

2.3 Radiation Worker Registration
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, you must submit a "Radiation Worker Registration Form (Form 5-1)" by post at least 10 days 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). For details, click here.

2.4 Others
- Safety Precaution
For your safety, do not work alone. Please include the name of your project team members 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 case of emergencies such as equipment failure, natural disaster, and pandemic. In such cases, users cannot claim compensation for the lost beamtime.
- General Insurance and Compensation
Users shall take out appropriate personal injury and liability insurance before conducting experiments. If their project teams include students, they shall make sure that all the students take out appropriate personal injury and liability insurance. If users damage SPring-8 facilities, equipment or persons, either willfully or through gross negligence, JASRI may require them to meet all or part of the cost of repairs. JASRI shall take due account of all relevant circumstances in determining the degree of user liability.

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]
Users are exempt from paying the beamtime fee.
Note: 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, click here.

[Proprietary Research]
Regular Use: 480,000 yen/shift (8 hours), 60,000 yen/hour
Time-Designated Use: 720,000 yen/shift (8 hours), 90,000 yen/hour (regular fee + 50% premium)
　　For any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the beamtime fee is charged by the hour.

3.2 Program Fee for Non-Proprietary Grant-Aided Proposal
　　Program Fee: 131,000 yen/shift (8 hours), 16,375 yen/hour
Intended for non-proprietary research projects that have been reviewed and approved for a large research grant, non-proprietary grant-aided proposals are exempt from scientific review, and only the technical feasibility and the safety of the experiment, necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool and ethics (e.g. exclusively for peaceful purposes) are reviewed and are available on the payment of program fee.
For any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the beamtime fee is charged by the hour.

3.3 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.

Fixed Fee: 10,560 yen/shift (8 hours), 1,320 yen/hour
　　For any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the fixed fee is charged by the hour.
Variable Fee: calculated based on the amount of liquid He actually used

Important: We will cover the costs for Budding Researchers Support Proposals and the non-proprietary proposals submitted by foreign users within the limit of the budget. Please note that the variable fee is not always covered when it exceeds the limit of the budget.

Click here for more details.

4. List of Beamline Summaries

Research areas and experimental stations/facilities available to users at each beamline are listed below. For the specifications and status of experimental stations, please also refer to the Beamline List. If you have questions, please contact the Beamline Scientist.

＜Table 4.　List of Beamline Summaries＞

5. 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