Non-proprietary Priority proposals are intended for research proposals subject to pay the program fee to prioritize using the beamtime. And they are also granted an exemption from scientific review; only the necessity of SPring-8 as a research tool, ethics, technical feasibility, and the safety of the experiment are reviewed. These proposals are given priority consideration up to the beamtime limit set for each beamline used for general proposals. Regular proposals are invited twice or six times a year, depending on the Beamline. One-year proposals are accepted for research term A. From the 2025A term, Non-Proprietary Priority Proposals offer quasi-proprietary use to applicants affiliated with industrial institutions.
Application Requirements
Applicants need to fulfill the following conditions:
Must be affiliated with a corporate enterprise located and registered in Japan, 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.
Conduct research in line with national policies such as the “Basic Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation,” including the “Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research.”
Be registered as a radiation worker when using synchrotron radiation.
The safety and technical feasibility of the experiment, the necessity to use SPring-8, and ethics (e.g., exclusively for peaceful purposes) will be considered. Approved proposals are given beamtime so far as beamtime available to this program permits. In case the total beamtime shifts required by all the applied proposals exceed the designated percentage indicated below, the PRC determines in a comprehensive manner which proposals are given priority. The proposals applied for the One-Year proposal will automatically be reviewed as regular Non-Proprietary Priority Proposals when no beamtime is allocated.
Maximum Percentages of Allocable Beamtime
Up to 40% of total beamtime per beamline can be allocated together for Proprietary Proposals and Non-Proprietary Priority Proposals. Up to 50% of each user beamtime is for public use at RIKEN beamlines. Please also note that the beamtime per Research Group is limited to up to 20% in total, including this program (both Regular and One-Year proposal) and the Proprietary Proposal. Allocatable beamtime for One-Year proposals is approximately 10% to 15% per beamline.
One-Year proposal
Features: The validity period of one year (consecutive A and B terms) Multiple beamlines selectable with one application Applications accepted once at the A term each year Special note: Approved proposals are given a separate proposal number for each beamline and term of use. The Experiment summary Report for each beamline must be submitted within 60 days after the end of the research proposal for each A and B term. As with regular proposals, the fees will be invoiced each time the experiment is completed.
Fees
Type of fee
Per shift*
Beamtime fee
Users are exempt from paying the fee
Program fee for non-proprietary Priority proposal
131,000 yen
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
Program fee for non-proprietary Priority proposal
144,000 yen
Quasi-Proprietary Use fee
144,000 yen
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
About two weeks before the deadlines for general and other proposals.
B Term
About two weeks before the deadlines for general and other proposals.
Six times a year
Term
Approx. Deadlines
A Term, First period
About two weeks before the deadlines for general and other proposals. Deadlines for the second and the third periods are the same as general proposals.
A Term, Second period
Early March
A Term, Third period
Late April
B Term, First period
About two weeks before the deadlines for general and other proposals. Deadlines for the second and the third periods are the same as general proposals.
