STANDARD RESEARCH PROPOSAL (STD)

This is the standard procedure to get access to the LNLS beamlines and support labs. The users ask for beamtime for a specific experiment on a given beamline. The proposals follow the normal review process and the beamtime may be split into more than one round. After each experimental round, the Users’ team provides an experimental report and other feedback.

Published results must acknowledge the beamline/facility, National Laboratory and CNPEM. A copy of each paper or thesis should be transmitted to LNLS management and a copy of each paper or thesis should be transmitted to LNLS management and CNPEM’s library.

Users from Brazil and Latin America receive grants to perform the experiments.

FAST TRACK ACCESS (FTA)

This type of proposals intends to improve the access to LNLS beamlines for experiments that demand little preparation and involve simple sample and safety concerns on standard beamline setups. It is intended for users that have already experience on the required technique. The team – or main proposer – must have already submitted and get approved proposals at the LNLS beamlines. It can be used to complete and/or complement experimental results to conclude scientific publications and/or thesis works.

Specific Rules:

• Submissions at any time.
• Proposals reviewed individually within 2 – 3 weeks after submission.
• Members of the Proposal Review Committee may be called as ad-hoc referees for a quick review.
• Beamtime allocated within 3 – 10 weeks after submission (depending on availability).
• After each experimental round, the user group provides an experimental report.
• Published results must acknowledge the beamline/facility, National Laboratory and CNPEM. A copy of each paper or thesis should be transmitted to LNLS management and CNPEM’s library.
• Financial support is not provided.

The LNLS management will decide the amount of beamtime allocated to FTA for each beamline:

• Beamtime allocated for FTA may be different for each beamline.
• Not all beamlines will receive FTA proposals.
• Experiments can be done remotely by sending samples and using an Online Service (not available in all beamlines).

LONG TERM PROPOSAL (LTP)

This submission type aims at establishing a long-term commitment by LNLS to provide beamtime in one or more beamlines for a two-year period. The main criterion is the scientific excellence of the project. However, some additional criteria must be considered:

• Commitment of the proposer group regarding a contribution in terms of financial, technical and/or human resources.
• An identifiable benefit to the LNLS scientific and user programs and to the beamline(s) involved regarding a new technique, new instrumentation, and new possibilities of experiments for the beamline.
• Involvement of other CNPEM open facilities (LNNano, LNBio, LNBR), as much as possible. Such involvement could be, for instance, in sample preparation and/or characterization, as well as in the use of complementary analytical methods.

Specific Rules:

• Call for proposals on a yearly basis.
• Only one or two proposals at a time for each beamline.
• Ad-hoc committee formed by the LNLS’ Scientific Board, including members selected from Proposal Review Committee.
• Committee may ask for external ad-hoc referees.
• Report on a yearly basis.
• Funding to be discussed and a contract to be formalized.

INDUSTRY RAPID ACCESS (IRA)

Like the FTA application, IRA is designed to improve the access to LNLS beamlines for experiments that demand little preparation and involve simple sample and safety concerns on standard beamline setups. Industrial users must have already some experiences on the required technique. Funding is not provided, and costs should be discussed depending on the need for assistance of a LNLS specialist during the experiments and on data handling.

Specific rules:

• Submissions at any time.
• Proposals reviewed individually within 2 – 3 weeks after submission.
• Beamtime allocated within 5 – 10 weeks after submission (depending on availability).

LNLS management will decide the amount of beamtime allocated to IRA for each beamline:

• Beamtime allocated for IRA may be different for each beamline.
• Not all beamlines will receive IRA proposals.
• Experiments can be done remotely by sending samples and using an Online Service (not available in all beamlines).

NEW IN THIS CALL

UPDATE TO THE LNLS/Sirius PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORMAT

In order to improve the scientific evaluation process and optimize the use of LNLS/Sirius beamlines, the format for submitting proposals in the regular call has been updated.

In previous calls, an increase in excessively long and generic texts was observed, in some cases possibly generated with the aid of language models (LLMs), which made it difficult to clearly identify the central idea of the proposal and the intellectual authorship of the researchers. In addition, lengthy texts make the evaluation process more laborious without necessarily contributing to better scientific analysis.

The new format seeks to prioritize clarity, objectivity, and adherence to the scientific method, allowing direct identification of: (i) the scientific hypotheses to be tested; (ii) whether the proposed experiment is suitable to test them; and (iii) the level of maturity of the study, based on prior characterizations already carried out.

A clearer detailing of these prior characterizations and how they support the proposed experiment is now also required, which is essential to assess the feasibility and stage of development of the research.

Finally, the changes align proposal submission with the new Experimental Validation Levels (EVLs) and Technical Validation Levels (TVLs) model currently used to classify the degree of scientific and technical maturity of experiments at the beamlines. (Information can be checked at this link)

These updates aim to make evaluation more efficient, transparent, and consistent, benefiting both proposers and the Sirius user community.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORM

The Research Proposal Form is the main document that describes the motivation, objectives, samples and prior characterizations, and experimental methods. Below are instructions for completing the Research Proposal Form.

PROPOSAL TITLE

It must follow the following structure:

Main observation + system/material studied + main technique

This structure reflects how science at synchrotron light sources is organized, explicitly stating:

• what will be measured,
• in which material or system, and
• with which technique.

The title is not intended for outreach and is mainly used for indexing, organization, and classification of proposals in the system.

It is important to highlight that:

• The title is one of the first pieces of information viewed by reviewers in the double-anonymous evaluation process, as well as by members of the Proposal Scientific Evaluation Committee (CACIP), appearing directly on the evaluation panel.
• A clear and standardized structure allows proposals to be grouped by topic and/or technique, which is especially useful for beamline scientists and for the CACIP during analysis and
  management of submissions.

MOTIVATION

• Why is this question relevant?
• What is already known and what still remains unknown?

BRIEF AND OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION

• What is the hypothesis?
• What will be measured to test it?

SAMPLES AND PRIOR CHARACTERIZATION

Prior characterization and how these results support the proposed experiment. The text referring to graphical experimental evidence must be placed in this field.

Graphical experimental evidence: Upload a file with a maximum of five pages, figures only, numbered, without captions. The explanatory text for the figures must appear in the previous field “SAMPLES AND PRIOR CHARACTERIZATION”.

• Number of samples:
• Type/state of samples (powder, single crystal, gel),
• Sample composition:
• Sample preparation: none/on site/support laboratory
• Environmental requirements for the samples:

EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

Select an EXPERIMENT (EVLs):

For each experiment provide:

• Objective: Brief description of the expected result
• Measurements: description of technique, mode, geometry
• Experimental conditions: specific experimental conditions
• Estimated time: in hours

SAMPLE AND SAFETY FORM

The Sample and Safety Form is the document that describes the samples and related storage and safety concerns. It is completed online in the SAU Online portal.

• Provide details about chemical formulas, sample presentation, MSDS files, etc.; 
• Describe all samples, including standard reference samples; 
• Explicitly describe any hazards associated with the samples; 
• Indicate all sample preparation needs; 
• In case of doubt, contact the beamline coordinator or safety officer.