Guidelines
Pre-project training
Pre-access training is available to user groups who have been granted access to a host facility. This scheme enables preferably a young researcher, to visit the lab prior to the main access period for a focused training.
The training visit, lasting up to one week, aims to provide the visiting researcher with hands-on experience in the facility’s equipment, experimental setups, data acquisition systems, and analysis methods. By enhancing technical preparedness, this training is expected to significantly improve the efficiency and productivity of the subsequent experiments carried out by the full user group.
- Eligibility: One person per user group
- Timing: Conducted immediately before the main access period; duration typically not exceeding 1 week
- Scope: Training on facility equipment, procedures, safety, and data workflows
- Process: The training request is submitted during the TNA proposal stage and must be confirmed by the facility during the feasibility check, prior to scientific evaluation
Travel and subsistence costs of the young researcher will be funded by the Lasers4EU project. Host facilities are expected to offer this training as an in-kind contribution, showcasing their readiness to support users and enhancing their attractiveness as access providers within the Lasers4EU network.
Remote Access
Remote Access is offered by several of Lasers4EU labs in exceptional cases. Wherever possible, access projects are carried out by the host lab’s staff with no external user present in the lab. They supervise the experiments remotely.
Remote access can only be granted when the Principal Investigator and the host facility have reached an agreement on how to proceed. The projects will have to strictly respect the following rules:
- Remote Access must be based on a strong and auditable involvement of the user(s).
- The user(s) should be directly involved, usually on a daily basis, via video link, and must actively participate in the different steps and decisions during the experiment.
- Proofs of such involvement (e.g. minutes of the video discussions on the lab books) shall be kept for audit purposes. The remote users shall fill a form certifying the amount of remote access provided to them (available from the host facility).
You are invited to discuss remote access options with the following facilities: CEA-LIDYL, CLF, CLL, CLPU, CNRS-CELIA, CNRS-LOA, CNRS-LP3, CUSBO, FELIX, FERMI, GSI, HZDR-ELBE, ICFO, LENS, LLAMS, LLC, MBI, ULF-FORTH, VULRC.
Extension of an access experiment
A request for extension of an experiment beyond the duration approved by the Selection Panel during the evaluation process should be sent to the chair of the Access Board by email, explaining the reason for the need for an extension. A decision on a request for extension of:
- up to three (3) days is taken by the Access Board;
- up to five (5) days is taken by the Access Board following advice from the chair of the Selection Panel.
Beyond five (5) days, a new application is necessary.
The twenty (20) months validity rule also applies for experiment extensions: this means that the extension has to be carried out within twenty (20) months of the acceptance of the proposal by the Selection Panel.
Access Policy for oversubscriptions
Access Providing Infrastructures (APIs) that accept proposals at any time must be prepared to handle possible oversubscriptions, i.e. situations when too many positively evaluated proposals are aimed to a particular infrastructure for a given period of time. They must also be prepared to schedule approved proposals within a limited time period after evaluation. In general, the following rules should apply:
1. The APIs report to the Access Board three times a year on the progress of all access proposals that have been approved by the Access Selection Panel (ASP).
2. The scheduled access visit should take place no later than 20 months after the ASP decision.
3. When allocating the available beam time periods for the access visit, the API should take into account the available access budget (see footnote 1) and the average rate of incoming proposals. This may lead to the need to rank and locally schedule only a part of the proposals.
4. The ranking will be based primarily on the scientific excellence of the proposal. If several proposals of comparable quality are approved, priority will be given to new applicants.
5. Should the host API have difficulty in accommodating access visits despite compliance with the above rules, the applicant(s) will be notified immediately and the ‘excess proposals’ will be forwarded to the Access Board for further consideration. The host API will be required to provide written justification as to why it was unable to accommodate all access visits and the reasons for the selection. The Access Board is responsible for approving this selection. It is also responsible for making a final decision on the scheduling of the proposal, including possible rerouting to other host facilities within 3 months. Re-routing requires the agreement of both the applicants and the new host facility.
6. If re-routing is not possible, the application may either be rejected by the Access Board (see footnote 2) or placed on a “waiting list” from which the applicant may withdraw at any time. The waiting list should be visible to all host infrastructures and should be reviewed periodically by the Access Board.
7. Rejected proposals or those on the waiting list are open to be accommodated outside the EU access programme by any volunteering facility at any time.
Footnote 1: No further proposals may be accepted or scheduled once the maximum total access budget of the host facility has been reached (taking into account the sum of all completed and scheduled proposals).
Footnote 2: In rejecting proposals the Access Board acts on behalf of Lasers4EU consortium. It must ensure that rejection is ultimately based on financial constraints only. Board members coming from the original host facility may not participate in rejection decisions (“external” decision). Rejected applicants may appeal to the Management Board.