The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) from scientists who wish to conduct research at the ALS in the 2024-1 (January–July) cycle.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 6, 2023
Please log in to ALSHub to submit a new GUP or to make a beamtime request (BTR) on an existing active proposal.
Users are reminded that they need to have an ALSHub account to submit proposals, and that creating an account may take 1–2 business days. We encourage all users to check their account well before the proposal deadline. If your PI does not have an ALSHub account, please have your PI create an ALSHub account as well.
New Proposals
Read our User Guide for more information about how to apply for beamtime and prepare a competitive proposal.
Maintaining an Active Proposal
Proposals for general sciences beamlines are considered active for two years, or until the total shifts requested in the proposal have been used. Users may decide whether to submit a new proposal or make a BTR on an active proposal based on the cutoff score from previous cycles for that beamline. Users are reminded that their proposal score will be improved by 0.2 if they didn’t receive beamtime in the first cycle, as described in the GUP section. Users must make a BTR each cycle to continue to get beam time on an active proposal.
The ALS is currently scheduled to go dark on October 1, 2025, for the ALS upgrade. GUPs submitted on September 6, 2023, will expire when the ALS goes dark or after two years, whichever comes first.
Molecular Foundry Joint Access
Users can request joint access to facilities at the Molecular Foundry, a nanoscience user facility at Berkeley Lab, to support their ALS activities. Available resources include sample preparation and complementary characterization techniques. We recommend exploring the expertise and instrumentation available and contacting the scientists directly to discuss the feasibility of your research plans. You may also reach out to the Foundry User Office directly with your questions. Users should review these guidelines before submitting a proposal.
Report Publications
All proposal forms include a productivity section with publications from previous ALS work. Please make sure your publications are entered into the ALS publication database before preparing your proposal. The database will be automatically searched for publications with the principal investigator’s name, which the proposal submitter may then add to the proposal by clicking all those that apply.
RAPIDD Proposals
Users requiring limited but rapid access to ALS beamtime may prefer to submit a RAPIDD proposal rather than a GUP. RAPIDD proposals may be submitted at any time.
Contact: alsproposals@lbl.gov