Standard Proposal Guide
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The proposal requires the completions of 6 steps including the submission, all are mandatory:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Start the submission
Scientific general part
Scientific and experimental description
Samples and substances declaration together with ancillary equipment declaration (for safety
considerations)
5. Results from previous proposals
6. Proposal submission
Each step is displayed in a tab. You can switch from one step to another.
The proposal must be written in English.
Before filling the proposal 'form', it is recommended to read this guide carefully.
1. Start the submission
1. Click on “Proposal Application” in “Proposal Management” on the left menu
Figure 0: Home page
2. Then click on “Create” button and select “Standard Proposal”
Figure 1: Proposal Management item
3. And select either “a new one”, or “a resubmission” or “a continuation” and click on the
(figure 2).
Figure 2: Start submit Standard Proposal
4. And let yourself be guided by the instruction located below the toolbar to fill in each tab of each step:
Figure 3: instruction to submit Standard Proposal
2. Scientific general part
To complete this first step, as it is stated in figure 4, you need to fill in three tabs:
Figure 4: Sept 1 to submit Standard Proposal
2.1.
General tab
2.1.1. Scientific general part (panel)
General Title: Enter the title for a new proposal (400 characters max.)
Keywords: Please enter one or several appropriate keywords (100 characters max.)
button
Research area of the proposal: Select the research area related to the proposal among the given list
2.1.2. Proposers description (panel)
Main proposer : This is the person who submits the proposal and who is the manager for any matter. It
is also the contact person to SOLEIL for all administrative issues related to the proposal. All
correspondence will be sent to the main proposer only and he or she is expected to act as the
experimental team coordinator if the project is accepted (e.g.; inform the co-proposers, etc.).
Co-Proposers : Up to 10 names of co-proposers can be entered. Pay attention that co-proposers should
be registered as users and selected from the SUN set users database (by clicking on "select" button).
Will participate to the experiment?: Indicate by Yes or No who will participate to the experiment
Skill of the team who will carry out the experiment: Enter short description of the skill of the team who
will carry out the experiment (1000 characters max.).
2.2.
Beamlines tab
2.2.1. Beamlines/Branches Requirements (panel)
See the different beamlines description if necessary (by clicking on "Beamlines" link on the top of the
page or here). Up to 3 beamlines/branches can be selected and described by clicking on this icon
.
Requested Beamline/Branch: According the beamline, a beamline/branch can be requested.
Beamline/Branch manager contacted: Please pay attention to contact the beamline manager prior
submission. Select one contact in the drop-down menu.
Experimental station or type of techniques: (if appropriate) According the selected beamline and
beamline branch, an experimental station or a type of technique can be requested.
Experimental station manager contacted: Please pay attention to contact the experimental station
manager prior submission. Select one contact in the drop-down menu.
Samples environment: (if appropriate) Choose one beam-line sample environment among the list.
Machine operation mode: Select the necessary mode: multi-bunch, 8 bunch, single bunch, asymmetric
filling, low alpha, no requirement
Photons energy range requested: The units can be: eV, keV, meV or cm-1 and also you can select one
or more among: Pink beam, white beam and or monochromatic beam
Spot size requested: Please precise the spot size you request in HxV µ-2
Total number of shifts required: Please enter the estimated number of shifts required where 1 shift is 8
hours.
Additional beamline: click on Yes in order to add up to 2 beamlines in which the project will be carried
on as a complementarity.
2.3.
Exp. Requirements/Context/Framework tab
2.3.1. Other Experiment Requirements (panel)
Schedule Preferences: Enter:

First priority: unacceptable dates: when the team is not able to run (e.g. teaching obligations,
etc.).
Second priority: preferred starting time.

The beam-line manager will try, as much as possible, to take into account your preferred dates
and unacceptable periods.
Peer review committee:
Please select one of the six following peer review committees and precise if the proposal should be
evaluated by an additional peer review committee (Requires evaluation from additional peer review
committee):
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PRC1: Diluted matter
PRC2: Electronic & magnetic property of matter, Surfaces and Interfaces
PRC3: Matter & material properties: Structure, Organisation Characterisation, Elaboration
PRC4: Chemistry & Physico-Chemistry, In situ reactivity, Soft matter
PRC5: Biology, Health
PRC6: Ancient materials, Environment and Hearth
Laboratory support facility access required:
At this stage, this is not the request but only a declaration of intention. When the proposal is
accepted, you will have to request the appropriate support laboratory on-line.
Choose among the following available laboratories at SOLEIL:
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Biology laboratory (for samples)
Biology laboratory (for specific needs)
Chemistry laboratory (for samples)
Chemistry laboratory (for specific needs)
High pressure laboratory
Surfaces laboratory
Ancient materials preparation room (with restricted access).
Laboratories (for samples) are dedicated to users for the samples preparation for experiments carried out
on beamlines.
The request to access to laboratories with restricted access must be justified by very peculiar needs, i.e.
when specific equipment not available in these laboratories for samples.
The decisions are made by the laboratory manager.
2.3.2. Experimental Context (panel)
Answering to the following questions is very important for proposal reviewing:
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Is the proposal a new one, a resubmission of (N°) or continuation of a previous one (N°)? Please
select the right answer.
Why is the SR needed to solve the proposed scientific case? Please justify in 1000 characters
max.
Have you already performed based SR experiments? If yes precise where.
Have you already used Synchrotron Radiation for this project? If yes precise where.
Have you already submitted this proposal to another synchrotron radiation facility? If yes
where?
2.3.3. Proposal framework (panel)
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Is the proposal supported by any contract? If yes, please precise the following information:
Title of the contract, Type, Reference number, Starting date and Ending date.
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Is the proposal in collaboration with an industrial group? If yes precise the following
information:
Collaboration Title, Starting date and Ending date.
Is the proposal a significant part of a PhD thesis?
Do you intend to request European support in the framework of Trans National Access
Activities (TNA) within available European programs?
If yes precise the program.
3. Scientific experimental description
Complete next tab(s) to 'update & continue': Abstract/Description/Attachment
Figure 5: Step 2 to submit Standard Proposal
3.1.
Abstract/Description/Attachment tab
3.1.1. Abstract (panel)
General Summary: Enter a short abstract of the proposal. This helps referees to get a quick overview of
the proposal (max. of 1000 characters).
3.1.2. Description of the proposed experiment (panel)
General Summary: Give the general and specific scientific background and also the results of
preliminary work carried out with synchrotron radiation and/or other methods.
Objective: State clearly the aim of the proposed experiment together with the motivation for the present
proposal.
Experimental method:
Describe and justify the selected samples.
For synthetic samples, please justify the choice of the conditions of synthesis.
For other samples (natural samples, archeological artefacts, etc...), please provide a clear justification for
the sample selection, including the sampling strategy.
Describe the arrangements which will be made for the reception, preparation, use and disposal of the
sample(s).
For life sciences proposals, a brief description of how the sample is obtained is essential. Describe the
experimental set-up and requirements (specific for your experiment), in some detail.
Queries concerning the feasibility (technical or safety aspects) of an experiment should be clarified with
SOLEIL staff before the proposal is submitted. The User Office can help you to get in touch with the
most appropriate contact.
Expected Results: Describe the results expected.
Beam time requested justification:
Justify the amount of beam-time requested.
For PROXIMA 1 beamline: the ACTOR sample changer is now available. Please give an approximate
figure for the expected usage of the robot (for example X shifts robot, Y shifts without robot).
References:
a- your publication(s )which rely on, or involve the use of SOLEIL beamline(s):
b- your publication(s) on the subject:
c- others:
Note:
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There is a global limitation for all fields of the “Description of the proposed experiment” panel:
6500 characters max. including blank spaces plus n*2000 characters depending on the number
of beamlines requested (n = 1 or 2 or 3).
3.1.3. Inserted attachments (panel)
Within the current SUN set system, graphics files can be attached to the proposal.
Title: enter here the title for the graphics
File: specify here the file to be attached to the proposal. Possible file types are JPEG and PNG. For
JPEG files, ensure that the colour code is RGB (CMYK cannot be accepted).
4. Samples and substance together with
ancillary equipment declaration (for safety
consideration)
Complete next tab(s) to 'update & continue': Samples
Figure 6: Step 4 to submit Standard proposal
Samples can be created by clicking on the
button of the selected one. Moreover, samples can be
created from a copy of previous proposals by clicking on the
button. Once the sample is
created it can be viewed, edited, deleted or used as model with these buttons:
Particular attention should be given to the safety aspects. The name and characteristics of the
substance(s) to be used have to be completed carefully. The main proposer is the manager for this
information.
Experimental conditions requiring special safety precautions such as the use of lasers, high pressure
cells, samples presenting biological dangers (for example tissue samples, bacteria, viruses), dangerous
substances, toxic substances and radioactive materials, must be clearly stated in this step (sample,
substances and ancillary equipment declaration).
Every sample or sample family brought to SOLEIL has to be declared in the declaration form
(one 'form' per sample).
According to the type of sample or object you will have to fill in the following information using an
appropriate template:
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Cellular biology sample
Biochemistry sample
Chemical sample (gas, liquid, solids, ...)
Radioactive sample
Valuable object
Ancillary equipment
In the particular case of samples of biological origin, we require you to give the name of the biological
sample, the living organism from which it is derived and the way in which it was produced and purified.
Moreover, any ancillary equipment supplied by the user must conform to the appropriate French
regulations (mechanical, electrical, high pressure, etc.) and eventually to SOLEIL specifications.
Failure in providing this information will mean that the application will NOT be accepted.
The main proposer has to send to SOLEIL a signed copy of the form.
5. Results from previous proposals
Complete next tab(s) to 'submit' your proposal: Results from previous proposals
Figure 7: Step 5 to submit Standard proposal
Please insert here links to previous proposals of relevance to the current proposal. Because of
confidentiality reasons the input is different whether or not the submitting author was author / co-author
of previous proposals or not.
Add: for case where present author is author / co-author of previous proposal. Please see the list of those
proposals where you have been author or co-author. To link the experimental report of such a previous
proposal to the present one click on "add". The proposal number will then be listed at the bottom under
"Experimental reports linked to this proposal".
Add other: for case where present author is not in authors list in the experimental report of a previous
proposal. It should be linked to the present one where the present author has participated but was not in
the author list, the proposal number has to be put in by hand. Again, the proposal number will then be
listed at the bottom under "Experimental reports linked to this proposal".
If a previous proposal has been successfully linked to the present one, then the experimental report of
this previous proposal will be made available to the referees together with the other information of the
new proposal.
Update and Continue for skipping this file and proceeding to the next step.
6. Submission
Now you are ready to submit your proposal to SOLEIL.
Figure 8: Last step to submit Standard proposal

Submit for saving all your input to the SUN set database and for submitting your proposal to
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SOLEIL.
Update for discontinuing proposal submission (you may return at any time and continue from
this point).
Please pay particular attention to check your proposal with the relevant SOLEIL Beamline staff before
submission.
Note:
 As long as a proposal has not yet been submitted (submit button) it is in the open state and can
be modified without any restriction.
 As soon as the proposal has been submitted it is in the closed state. From there on, any
modifications can be made only by contacting the SOLEIL Users Office.