Long Term Project Proposal

The status of your proposal

Is it a New, a Resubmission of a previous proposal or a Continuation of a previous proposal?:

• New: This is a completely new proposal which has never previously been submitted for beam time at the ESRF,
   
• Resubmission: The project described in your proposal has already been submitted to the ESRF in an earlier proposal round but was not allocated beam time. It is being resubmitted in this round either in an identical form or with some changes and/or improvements. By selecting the option "Resubmission", a specific tab "Details" will be issued in your application form where you will have to indicate any changes and/or improvements made in your proposal compared to the previous submission;
   
• Continuation: The project described in your proposal is a continuation of a previous proposal for which beam time was allocated at ESRF. The project described in your proposal is a direct follow-on from the work and results of  the earlier proposal.

LTP Duration - Request for beam time and beamline

The initial LTP can last up to three years (six consecutive scheduling periods). It is important to note that:

• the request for beamtime and beamline in the electronic LTP proposal form must be done for the FIRST 6-MONTH SCHEDULING PERIOD ONLY.
• The beamtime requested for the other scheduling periods should be noted in the table of section 5 of the LTP experimental methods template.
• The beamtime allocated for each of the scheduling periods will be determined during the corresponding Review Committees. A prolongation of the LTP can be submitted after the final report has been submitted.

The Experimental reports

Experimental reports on previous experiments MUST be registered as "relevant reports" in your new application for beamtime, even those carried out during the last 6 months preceding the proposal submission deadline. 'Preliminary report" or "confidential reports" can also be submitted. Details HERE.

If you register experimental reports in your new application form for beam time, please make sure that they have been EFFECTIVELY submitted and registered in our data base via the Portal. 

The safety aspects

The name and characteristics of the substance(s) must be completed carefully. Experimental conditions requiring special safety precautions such as the use of lasers, high pressure cells, bacteria, viruses, dangerous substances, toxic substances and radioactive materials, must be clearly stated in the proposal. Moreover, any ancillary equipment supplied by the user must conform with the appropriate French regulations.

Structural Biology (MX) proposals

Full details of the sample(s) contained in all structural biology proposals should also be provided to the ESRF at the time of submission of the beamtime application form. For each new MX proposal submitted, the main proposer (or one of the co-proposers) should complete and submit one sample sheet per sample mentioned in the proposal. The electronic sample sheet is available via the User Portal. The information is communicated to the Joint Safety Officer for Biology and will help the Safety Group to define the level of risk associated to each sample.

Who to contact:

• the Experimental Safety Officer: Martine Moroni
  Tel: +33 (0)4 7688.2369
  Fax: +33 (0)4 7688.2418
   
• the Joint Safety Officer for Biology: Véronique Mayeux
  Tel: +33 (0)4 76 88 22 03
   
• Consult also the Biosafety information web pages

The selection of the beamlines

Useful links:
Beamlines
Status of the beamlines for the 2^nd March deadline

Select carefully the beamline(s) for your research: in the proposal review process; they will determine the committee(s) which will assess the proposal.

Selection of the beamlines for your proposal

ESRF beamlines are designed for research in areas as diverse as engineering, physics, chemistry, crystallography, earth science, biology and medicine, surface and materials science, and are characterized by specific techniques of investigation.

In the electronic application form, the main proposer may select :

• in the case where only one beamline is required :
  • the principal beamline (P1) required and up to two alternative beamlines (A1, A1') : this corresponds to a request for P1 or A1 or A1'.
• in the case where more than one beamline is required :
  • two principal beamlines (P1, P2). If appropriate, possible alternative beamlines for each principal beamline may be selected (as above) : this corresponds to a request for P1 and P2.
  • the proposer must give number of shifts requested on each principal beamline

Important:

In order to request the appropriate beamline(s) for your research, and therefore to have your proposal assessed by the appropriate review committee, you are kindly requested, in case of doubt:

• to consult the information web page on the beamlines,
• to contact the beamline responsible if you need more information
• to MAKE SURE, before the validation of your proposal, that the status ("principal" or "alternative") of the selected beamline(s) corresponds exactly to what you need.

The "Experimental Method form" for a Long Term Project contains the following sections:

1. Abstract

A short abstract, not exceeding half a page, must summarise the proposal.

2. Scientific case

This section presents the scientific case and the development aspects of the proposal, outlining in particular the reasons for filing a LTP, the results expected, and milestones, i.e. the scientific and/or technical goals for each year of the period covered by the LTP;

3. Competence & References

This paragraph contains:

• A summary of the relative experience and competence of the proposing scientists to carry out the proposal;
• References to publications relevant to the scientific or technical subject (in order to allow the Beamtime Allocation Committees to obtain detailed information in the field, if needed);

4. Technical details

The proposed technical implementation of the LTP is described. Besides the standard information requested from all applications for beamtime (such as the beamline equipment and set-up, sample environment issues, safety issues, special support …), it must specify:

• resources and services the Users assume to be available at the ESRF,
• extra efforts expected from the ESRF in terms of staff and instrumentation,
• contributions of the User group to the execution of the LTP, including human and financial resources for the construction, commissioning and operation of specific equipment brought by the User group.

5. Beamtime(s) & Beamline(s)

Beamtime(s) and beamline(s) must be requested for each scheduling period within the total period covered by the LTP. This section summarizes the expected results, consistent with the milestones stated in section 2.

6. Resources

Information about how and when the proposing User group expects to obtain the resources (human and financial) needed for the implementation of the LTP, including whether or not the User group needs the prior acceptance of the LTP to secure the resources required;

7. Benefits to the ESRF User Community

The long-term benefits to the ESRF User community expected from the successful implementation of the LTP. This could consist, for example, in new instrumentation, a new technique, or a new community using the ESRF. Safety considerations

The Electronic Submission is done through the ESRF User Portal (SMIS). You will require your ESRF login (last name) and personal password to login to the application. If you are already registered in the ESRF data base but you have forgotten your personal password, kindly contact the User Office by e-mail (User Office). If you are not yet registered in the ESRF data base, you will be able to create your own user account and to access the proposal submission application.

IMPORTANT: Should you run into difficulties submitting your proposal electronically, please DO NOT SEND a paper version which is no longer acceptable, but contact the User Office who will give you instructions to proceed with the electronic submission of your proposal.

Access to the electronic application form via the User Portal:

• tab "Proposals / Experiments"
• select: "Proposals" in the drop-down list
• tab "New proposal"

What to do?

• SELECT the electronic beamtime application form for a LONG TERM PROJECT PROPOSAL
   
• COMPLETE AND SUBMIT your electronic Long Term Project beamtime application form: data registered in the beamtime application form (details for the main proposer, the co-proposer(s), proposal title, beamline(s) and shift(s) requested,...) is submitted directly into an ESRF data base:

• DOWNLOAD the Experimental Method Form for a Long Term Project Proposal (link with template below): complete it and SAVE it and on your local folder
  LTP Experimental Method Form (MS Word for WINDOWS)

Once your Experimental Method file is completed and saved on your local folder, you must attach it to your electronic application form via the User Portal (tab "Proposals/Experiments -> "Proposals" -> "Proposal in Progress" , select "Manage your Experiment Form"):

• DOWNLOAD your LTP Experimental Method file (the application accepts ONLY the PDF format) and SUBMIT IT : it will be automatically attached to your electronic beamtime application form

• VALIDATE your proposal

Please note that the submission of your new proposal will NOT be complete unless you VALIDATE your proposal (Beamtime Application Form AND Experimental Method).

How to modify your proposal?

You have validated your proposal which has now a reference number: you can modify it until the deadline (15th January).

Validation by the User Office

One week AFTER THE DEADLINE, the User Office:

• validates the proposals and attributes them a FINAL NUMBER (i.e.: CH-1111)
   
• communicates, by e-mail, to the main proposers the final number of their proposal(s)