Call for 2024A SPring-8 Research Proposals – Overview –

 Special Notes 
1. Special policy will be applied to 2024A term proposals to minimize the effects of beamtime cancellations. Please make sure to check here.
2. Please understand that there is a possibility that we cannot provide stable supply of Helium (both liquid and gas) due to the recent situation regarding global helium supply.
3. Due to the progress and prospects of the refurbishment work on BL39XU, no applications that request BL39XU will be accepted in this call. Depending on the status of the construction work, applications may be taken in an additional call around April 2024.

[Contents]

1. 2024A User Operation

1.1 Beamtime Available to Users and Period of Research in 2024A

1.1.1 Beamtime Available to Users

 264 beamtime shifts for 2024A
  Please note that it is subject to change with the situation of the electricity supply.

1.1.2 Period of Research (tentative)

　[At Beamlines with biannual calls for proposals]

 2024A Term: From April to late July 2024

　[At Beamlines with sixannual calls for proposals]

 2024A-I Term : From April to late May 2024
 2024A-II Term : From late May to late June 2024
 2024A-III Term : From late June to late July 2024

* Beamlines with Sixannual Calls are BL01B1, BL02B1, BL02B2, BL09XU, BL13XU, BL14B2, BL19B2, BL46XU, and BL47XU.
NOTE: BL47XU invites Call for Proposal basically twice a year and partially six times a year.

1.2 Types of Research and Proposals Available for 2024A Beamtime and Online Submission Deadline for 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 Graduate Student Proposal or Long-Term Graduate Student Proposal are your only choice; as a project team member, you can participate in any research project.

[Types of Proposals Available for 2024A Beamtime]

Proprietary Research

Non-proprietary Research

[Submission Deadlines (Japan Time)]

• Proprietary Proposals and Non-Proprietary Priority Proposals: November 15, 2023, 10:00 am
  　A signed Agreement must be received before November 22, 2023.
• General Proposals, Graduate Student Proposals: December 7, 2023, 10:00 am
  　A signed Agreement for Graduate Student Proposal must be received before December 14, 2023.

1.3 Beamlines Available for 2024A Public Beamtime

Beamlines available for 2024A public beamtime by type of proposal are indicated in Table 2.

Table 2. Beamlines Available for 2024A Beamtime by Type of Proposal (PDF)

For the specifications and status of experimental stations, please check the Beamline List and Table 3. List of Beamline Summaries.

1.4 Several Bunch Mode Operation in 2024A

The several bunch modes scheduled for 2024A 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: 406 × 11/29−bunches + 1 bunch

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

* The filling modes of D- and E-modes are operated only in research term A (e.g. 2024A, 2025A). In research term B (e.g. 2024B, 2025B), 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 Beamtime Allocation at BL01B1, BL28B2, and BL39XU

Due to equipment installment/adjustment, 9 shifts at BL01B1, 15 shifts at BL28B2, and 165 shifts at BL39XU are subducted from 2024A Beamtime. [Added on November 30, 2023] Applications that request BL39XU will be accepted in a call around April 2024(tentative), which is subject to change/cancellation due to the progress and prospects of the refurbishment work.

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.

    Top Page > My Page Login > Account Information > Edit My Details & SPRUC Research Groups

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.

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. 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.

Upon successful submission, you will receive a confirmation email attached with a copy of the Agreement (Rules for Users) in PDF format. If you do not receive confirmation within a reasonable time, please login to the proposal system and check if your proposal has been submitted.

[Important Notes]

a. Project Leader

A project leader is the person who will have overall responsibility throughout the experiment at SPring-8. The project leader and the person who is responsible for the research may not be the same person. Likewise, the project leader need not be the first author for SPring-8-related publications.

b. Application Type (New/One-Year (accepted for A terms only))

If you wish to apply for a one-year proposal, which (a) is applicable only for Non-proprietary Priority Proposals, (b) may allow you to use beamtime in two consecutive research terms (starting in A terms and ending in B terms), and (c) is applicable only in A terms (no call for B terms), choose One-Year as Application Type.

c. Use of Multiple Beamlines

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

d. Number of Shifts Required (8 h/shift)

Generally, beamtime is allocated in increments of 3 shifts; however, the minimum allocatable beamtime is 0.25 shifts for BL41XU and BL45XU, 1 shift for BL26B1, and 1.5 shifts (or 0.25 shifts for Automatic Data Collection without a visit) for BL32XU. Similarly, the minimum allocatable machine-time is 3 shifts for CryoTEM. 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)

List the project leader’s publication (maximum 3) associated with the proposed research (Place an asterisk next to the publications based on research at the SPring-8.) and describe each publication briefly. In addition, register the project leader’s ORCID iD at MyPage, Account Information, if available. (ORCID iD will be used to understand the project leader’s past research activities which is not directly related to the proposed research.)

f. High Pressure Gas Cylinder

If you wish to bring in a high-pressure gas cylinder, please make sure to provide all required information in the online application:
[Known Safety Hazards & Measures to Be Taken]
“Does your proposed research involve any of the following?” > Check the box for “High pressure gas cylinder.” Then, fill out the “Details of samples” table properly. Please be advised that if you attempt to bring in a high-pressure gas cylinder without providing the required information in the application, there may be restrictions on the cylinder to be brought into the site during the administrative procedures required by the High Pressure Gas Safety Act.

g. Mode Operation

For details on options for Mode Operations, please click here.

2.3 Radiation Worker Registration

Japanese Law (Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards) requires SPring-8 users, excluding non-visiting users using Measurement Service/PX-BL Automatic Data Collection, 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)

Please also refer to the “Fees for Beamline Use for Proposals” webpage summarizing fees for public beamline use and user fees.

3.1 Beamtime Fee

[Non-proprietary Research]

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

Time-Designated Use

N.B. Beamtime Fees of CryoTEMs for regular and time-designated use are 80,000 yen/shift (8 hours) and 120,000 yen/shift (8 hours), respectively.

3.2 Program Fee for Non-Proprietary Priority Proposal

Non-Proprietary Priority Proposals are exempt from scientific review, and only the technical feasibility and the safety of the experiment 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.

N.B. Beamtime Fee of CryoTEMs for Non-Proprietary Priority Proposal is 22,000 yen/shift (8 hours).

3.3 User Fees

Public beamline users, including CryoTEM 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 Helium.

Fixed Fee

Variable Fee

• A variable fee will be calculated and added in accordance with the amount of liquid helium actually used.

* 1 shift is 8 hours and for any proposals that are allocated by the hour, the fees are charged by the hour.

Important: We will cover the costs for Graduate Student Proposals and Long Term Graduate Student Proposals from domestic universities within 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 3.　List of Beamline Summaries

5. Contact