Long Term Access

Long Term Proposals (LTPs) are a mode of access whereby a PI can plan a series of experiments to take place over four six-month allocation periods. LTPs are useful where a series of experiments, potentially on different instruments, will be required in order to either answer a scientific problem or support the development of new instrumentation, a new technique or new community. The proposal must state the long term benefits expected from the successful implementation of the LTP that would be hard to consider in a series of individual standard proposals.

Users are requested to discuss any planned LTP in detail with the respective Diamond scientists before submission.

Within the proposal it must be clear how the experiments on the requested instruments form a single piece of work spanning the two year period, including an outline plan of the experiments or developments proposed over the period. In addition, only instruments accepting Long Term Proposals at the start of the proposal can be included. The award of an LTP is based on the scientific merit of the proposed science.

All Long Term proposals should be submitted on line in UAS.

Download the Guidelines for LTPs.

Principal Investigator

Each LTP has a Principal Investigator (PI). The PI is responsible for:

• all communication between the LTP and Diamond (e.g. User Office, beamline and safety staff)
• ensuring that members of the LTP are aware of the access within the allocation periods (APs) and are ready to perform experiments

• ensuring that all deadlines and reports within the User Administration System (UAS) are met including the experimental risk assessment (ERA) and report submission.

Alternate Contact

An LTP can have any number of Alternate Contacts (ACs) who have permissions in UAS to carry out all the administrative tasks of a PI. They are included on all communication sent by UAS to the LTP along with the PI.

The role of AC is reserved to experienced academic representatives from a collaborating institution or to a scientist/post-doc who has a delegated role to administer the LTP. An LTP can have a number of Alternate Contacts (ACs) who have permissions in UAS to carry out all the administrative tasks on behalf of a PI. They are included in all communication sent by the UAS to the LTP along with the PI.

Co-Investigator

Everyone who is on the proposal but is not the PI or an AC will be registered as a Co-Investigator (Co-I).

A LTP is awarded Diamond beamtime for two years consisting of four six-monthly allocation (or scheduling) periods. Each Diamond year is split in to two six-month allocation periods (APs). To determine which proposals will be awarded time in any period, Diamond runs a call for proposals twice a year.

A proposal submitted to the call with a deadline in the first week of April, will be considered for first Diamond use between October of that year and March of the following year. A proposal submitted to the call with a deadline in the first week of October, will be considered for the first experimental session at Diamond between April and September of the following year.

Figure 1: Steps in the life of an LTP

Whilst the Peer Review Panel will not re-judge the quality of science within the approved LTP, they will be responsible for judging effective use of Diamond instruments, and the progress of the goals and in the light of its judgement will adjust the allocation of time in subsequent allocation periods.