Procedures for Access to the Advanced Photon Source by Partner Users


Summary of Process:

Depending on the scope of the proposed partnership, a prospective Partner User (PU) submits a Letter of Intent (LOI) or a short proposal to the APS. This LOI or short proposal is reviewed electronically by a committee consisting of the Associate Laboratory Director for the APS (APS/ALD) or designee, three members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for the APS, as well as the Chairs of the SAC and the APS Users Organization, or their designees, who serve in an ex officio capacity.

For partnerships of limited scope where all resources are in hand, a short proposal should be submitted. Feasibility information will be sought by the APS from the beamline operations management. Review of this proposal by the screening committee will result in one of three outcomes: recommendation for immediate approval, recommendation for further review by an APS-appointed committee, or rejection.

For more comprehensive partnerships (intermediate and extensive scope), up to and including the formation of a CAT to develop and operate a full sector, an LOI should be submitted to the Screening Committee, which may recommend additional steps including scientific peer reviews of the proposal, review of a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) by the APS Construction/Commissioning Review Panel (CCRP), management and safety plan reviews by APS-appointed committees, documentation of funding commitments, and an oral presentation to the full APS SAC. (See Guidelines and Forms for Proposals to Establish Collaborative Access Teams at the APS, May 1999.)

Submission of Letters of Intent and Short Proposals:

  1. LOIs or short proposals can be sent to the APS User Office, Bldg. 401, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 So. Cass Ave., Argonne, Illinois 60439 at any time or sent electronically to the User Office (loi@aps.anl.gov).

    Although there is no formal deadline, an LOI proposing the formation of a partnership of intermediate or extensive scope (such as the development of a beamline or the formation of a CAT) should be submitted by October 1 of a calendar year to ensure consideration by the full SAC at its next annual January/February meeting. Short proposals for partnerships of more limited scope should be submitted by the General User proposal deadlines.
  2. LOIs and short proposals must contain, at a minimum, the items listed below. The total length of these documents should not exceed 10 pages.
    • Title of the proposed partnership.
    • Name and contact information (name, title, affiliation, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address) for the Principal Investigator/CAT Director.
    • Names and affiliations of additional major partners, accompanied by brief descriptions of their relevant scientific and technical experience.
    • Scientific impact/justification for the proposed partnership (approximately 5 pages). This section should form the major thrust of the LOI and clearly describe how the scientific community and the APS will benefit. Also describe the relationship to existing facilities at the APS and the amplification and or enhancement of these facilities.
    • Description of partnership arrangement. Describe the proposed instrument, capability, research program, or contribution to the APS. Indicate and justify which sector or beamline will be involved, as well as the amount of time required on the sector/beamline. Clearly outline the contributions to be made by the Partner User and the expectations for APS contributions. Indicate which Partner User team members will carry out each program element. Include supporting letters for contributions from proposed partners. (Note: If an APS staff member is one of the partners, a supporting letter from the that partner's Division Director is require.)

    Preliminary budget and proposed source(s) of funding for capital items, fabrication, assembly, and operations. Assess the likelihood of obtaining the funds. (For limited-scope partnership proposals, it is assumed that funds are committed or available.)

Review of Letters of Intent and Short Proposals:

  1. All LOIs and short proposals will be reviewed by the LOI screening committee, which will determine which of the following review processes will be followed (reviews differ on the basis of the scope of the partnership):
  2. For partnerships of limited scope, the committee may recommend approval of the short proposal with no further review, review by an APS-appointed committee, or rejection. The final decision will be made by the ALD/APS.
  3. If the partnership is of intermediate scope, it may be referred to the ALD/APS for further review and decision or for further review and presentation to the SAC.
    • The ALD/APS will appoint a specific ad hoc committee consisting of APS staff members and/or external scientists with appropriate scientific/technical skills to conduct the review.
    • Results from this review will be presented either to the APS/ALD for decision or to the SAC for recommendation, depending on the original advice from the screening committee. The final decision will be made by the ALD/APS.
  4. LOIs proposing partnerships of extensive scope, up to and including the establishment of a CAT will require additional reviews and a presentation to the SAC. The LOI Screening Committee will define specifically which reviews are needed. LOIs proposing partnerships of the Collaborative Access Team (CAT) type (construction, funding, and operation of a full sector with 75% of the time reserved for CAT members) will be reviewed according to the process defined in Guidelines and Forms for Proposals to Establish Collaborative Access Teams at the Advanced Photon Source.
  5. The LOI Screening Committee (as well as any ad hoc review committees) will use the following criteria for evaluation of partnership LOIs and proposals:
    • Scientific merit
    • Technical feasibility
    • Capabilities of the experimental group
    • Availability of required resources

    In addition, the review will specifically address the value of the potential impact to the facility, as well as the appropriateness of the amount of requested beam time.

Examples of Partner User Arrangements:

  • Partnerships of limited scope where the proposer needs no more than 15% of the beam time on a given sector or beamline for the development of a process or instrument.
  • Partnerships of limited scope where the proposer plans to develop a new user community and needs reliable access to beam time for at least two years.
  • A Collaborative Access Team (CAT): A special type of extensive-scope Partner User arrangement. In this model, typically several individuals or institutions join to form the CAT, which is considered in the context of this policy as a single Partner User. A CAT assumes full responsibility for design, funding, construction, and operation of a sector. A CAT is allocated no more than 75% of the beam time and must support General Users for the remaining 25% of the operating beam time.