Applying for Beam Time – All Other Beamlines
Applying for Macromolecular Crystallography Beam Time – click here
Applying for Canadian Access to International Synchrotron Facilities
General User Access
Proposal Submission: User time allocated through this mechanism is via competitive peer review, two times per year, and emphasizing the excellence of science where there is intent to publish scientific results. See Call for Proposal Deadlines.
During the Call for Proposals you have the option of submitting a NEW proposal or submitting a Beam Time Request (BTR) against an Active Proposal.
ACTIVE proposal status is obtained when Proposals are:
- approved for safety and technical feasibility, and ethics, if applicable
- receive a score between 1 and 4 (General User Proposals) and
- the number of cycles requested has not expired.
An active proposal does not automatically receive beamtime for every cycle, therefore a Beam Time Request must be submitted for each scheduling period via the web portal (see Creating and Managing your Proposal). A Beam Time Request is used to request additional shiftsin the upcoming cycle. Active proposals are not re-evaluated. Beam Time Requests which did not receive time in the previous cycle, would have their score adjusted by -0.1 (increased). These are the new scores that are taken into the allocation process. If the proposal receives beam time, the score is reset to the original value. Allocation of shifts is based on the highest ranked proposals (both new and active) (NB highest ranked corresponds to lowest score on the 1-5 scale).
Example scenarios demonstrating score adjustments for two Beam Time Requests which had not previously been allocated time:
Proposal Review and Ratings : All new proposals are reviewed for safety, technical, peer review and ethics (if required). Click here for details about the Peer Review evaluation criteria, rating scale, Peer Review Committee and notification of results.
Beam Time Allocation: The Allocation Committee allocates beamtime on all beamlines and for all categories. See Beamtime Allocation for General User beamtime allocation. Proposals awarded beamtime require an appropriate address for invoicing purposes. Invoices are generated on a regular basis for an access fee of $1 per eight hour shift and fees for other items such as materials and supplies and/or shipping or receiving of samples/products.
Scheduling Beam Time: CLS schedules research on all beamlines. Each scheduling cycle will identify the number of eight-hour shifts to be allocated to each experiment or group. The beamline staff schedule time on each experimental facility using input from the allocation committee, beam team and users, to optimize the final schedule. Confirmation of scheduling is provided by the Users Office via the web portal (see Creating and Managing your Proposal).
Given the complex nature of synchrotron facilities, when user beam time is lost due to unforeseen circumstances, it will not automatically be rescheduled. CLS is committed to working with affected users to maintain the continuity of their experimental programs. On a user by user basis, discretionary time may be allocated when possible.
Appeals: CLS promotes and encourages open communication between all users of the beamlines at CLS. Appeals relating to proposal ratings and/or allocation will follow the process identified in the Appeals guidelines.
Submit a Proposal:
Step 1: Contact the appropriate CLSI beamline scientist to discuss your research.
Step 2: Logon to https://user.lightsource.ca.
If you have not previously registered you will be required to register and you will receive a username prior to submitting a proposal.
- select “My Proposals”
- Submit a New Proposal - select “General User” under the heading “All Other Beamlines”
- Submit a Beam Time Request against an active proposal – select “View Proposals NOW” to view a list of your proposals, select “Beam Time Request” against the appropriate proposal
- “Copy as New” is available once a proposal has been submitted. This provides the option to duplicate a previously submitted proposal, update as required and submit. Select “View Proposals NOW” to view a list of your proposals and select “Copy as New” in the Manage column.
Last modified: 2012-01-25 16:01:49