General proposals are non-proprietary and intended for general research using synchrotron radiation. We have twice/six times calls for proposals and review sessions per year. Once approved, general proposals are valid for half a year, but approved proposals at PX-BLs are valid for one-year. For research to be considered non-proprietary, users must (1) submit a SPring-8 Experiment Summary Report within 60 days of the completion of each experiment and (2) publish their research in the form of a refereed journal (incl. refereed proceedings and Doctoral thesis), a SPring-8/SACLA Research Report refereed by JASRI, or a technical journal approved by JASRI, and register the published works with the Publications Database within three years from the end of the research term.
Application Requirements
Applicants need to fulfill the following conditions:
Must be affiliated with a corporate enterprise, including a public or private college, university, or other institution of higher education, a public or not-for-profit research organization, and a private company.
Be registered as a radiation worker when using synchrotron radiation.
Proposal Review
The scientific and technical value, the degree of expectation to produce results, the necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, ethics (e.g., exclusively for peaceful purposes), and the technical feasibility and safety of the experiment are comprehensively reviewed. If the research area of your proposal is Industrial Applications, the review of scientific and technological value will be focused on the potential and significance of the expected results in terms of technologies for industrial base, the social significance of the proposal, and the contribution to social economy. Please read the instruction of “General Proposals and Graduate Student Proposals Intended to Be Reviewed in the Industrial Application Field.”
Fees
Type of fee
Per shift*
Beamtime fee
Users are exempt from paying the fee
User fee (fixed)
10,720 yen
* 1 shift is 8 hours and for any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the fees are charged by the hour.
A variable fee will be calculated and added in accordance with the amount of liquid helium actually used.
Fees (from 2025A Term)
Type of fee
Per shift*
Beamtime fee
Users are exempt from paying the fee
User fee (fixed)
12,400 yen
* 1 shift is 8 hours and for any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the fees are charged by the hour.
A variable fee will be calculated and added in accordance with the amount of liquid helium / sample preparation service actually used.
Submission Deadline for Online Proposals
Twice a year
Term
Approx. Deadlines
A Term
Early December
B Term
Mid-June
Six times a year
Term
Approx. Deadlines
A Term, First period
Early December
A Term, Second period
Early March
A Term, Third period
Late April
B Term, First period
Mid-June
B Term, Second period
Early September
B Term, Third period
Late October
Proposal Application Templates
General Proposal, Graduate Student Proposal (excl. industrial application and structural biology)
