Updated Access model

The Australian Synchrotron’s current access model is due for expiry on 30 June 2016. Consequently, an updated access model has been developed, reflecting international best practice, the needs of the academic and industry user community, and the entitlements of funders. The new access model will formally take effect on 1 July 2016, meaning that the first applicable beamtime round will be the third cycle, commencing on Tuesday 13 September 2016 and for which applications open on Tuesday 3 May 2016. 

More details on the new access model are available here.  

Merit proposals are assessed by external reviewers and Program Advisory Committees based on 4 main criteria.

1. Quality of the Scientific Proposal. This makes up 40% of the reviewer score.

  • Describe the purpose and importance of your science
  • Describe the aim of the experiment and what information you expect to get. How will this contribute to your project?
  • Make sure that reviewers can easily determine the scientific value of the synchrotron experiment you are planning and how it will contribute to the relevant field of research or application

2. National Benefit and Applications of the Proposed Research. This makes up 30% of the reviewer score.

  • Explain how the proposed research is likely to lead to the creation of beneficial national impacts (economic, environmental, health, social or cultural) 
  • Explain how the proposed research broadly supports Australian or New Zealand (as appropriate) national research priorities 
  • Provide objective evidence that the research is important to likely consumers or adopters
  • If you are an applicant from outside Australia or New Zealand and you are unable to describe a particular national benefit for Australia (or New Zealand where relevant), you should note this. You may also want to point to any of the general benefits (e.g. reciprocity of access, international collaboration, knowledge transfer) of international access that may be relevant to your application.

3. Track Record (relative to opportunity) of the investigators. This makes up 30% of the reviewer score.

  • Give a description of the experience of all the applicants on the proposal
  • Include a description of previous Australian Synchrotron experiments carried out in the last 3 years and a brief description of the outcomes obtained
  • Update your publication history with all your accepted and published publications from Australian Synchrotron experiments
  • Include any of your relevant non synchrotron publications, especially if you are a new user 

4. Need for Synchrotron Radiation (no score - yes/no only)

  • Describe why you need synchrotron radiation for this work in the "The need to use Synchrotron Radiation for this research" section in your proposal
  • Describe why the experiment can't be done with laboratory facilities or other techniques. In particular include relevant laboratory data to back up your claims.
  • Justify the choice of beamline for the experiment

 

The Australian Synchrotron User Portal

All proposals need to be submitted via our online proposal system, the Australian Synchrotron User Portal.  A guide to using the Portal is provided here.

Please note that proposal round deadlines are strictly adhered to, and that all advertised deadlines refer to local (Melbourne) time.

General hints for completing your proposal

  1. Only the principal scientist can submit the proposal.
  2. In order to submit the proposal, the principal scientist MUST have their up-to-date affiliation details entered under 'My Account'.  This can be accessed from the Portal Dashboard.
  3. Students should not be the principal scientist on a proposal.
  4. Provide evidence of why synchrotron radiation is necessary for the experiment and the project.
  5. Include relevant laboratory data to support your proposal.
  6. Save your work often to avoid accidental loss or system time-out.
  7. Avoid using the 'Back' button in your internet browser as the Portal will return an error and you may lose valuable un-saved work. You should only ever use the Portal-specific buttons to navigate the Australian Synchrotron Portal.