guidelines and rules to apply for access to NFFA Europe Infrastructures
NFFA-Europe offers to European and Third Country (see eligibility criteria) scientists from both academia and industry the possibility to carry out comprehensive projects for multidisciplinary research at the nanoscale.
BROWSE THE OFFER
and select the tools you need WRITE A PROPOSAL
Activities are performed in 6 different types of Installations:
Each Installation includes laboratories located in different NFFA-EU sites; furthermore, when needed, access to co-located Large-Scale Facilities for Fine Analysis is offered as part of the access to Litho, SM or ECM nano-characterisation with some limitations*.
NFFA-Europe proposals necessarily**
Whenever possible, access will be granted to a single NFFA-Europe site for all research steps. Access to more than one site for a given proposal will be considered only when technically or scientifically justified. Multiple access to the same facility (facilities) under the same proposal cannot be supported beyond standard reimbursement limits.
*NFFA-Europe is not an alternative vehicle to access Large Scale Facilities with respect to the standard ALSF access procedures proposed by each facility. Limited access to beamtime (SR, neutrons) for characterization may be granted by NFFA-Europe only in agreement with the rules stated below.
**Limited exceptions include access to the Theory Installation, combined access to neutron and synchrotron facilities and access by SMEs (see Proposal Requirements (a)).
The Single Entry Point (SEP) on this portal provides the overall list of tools and methods available and is the portal to submit a proposal. Proposals can be submitted at any time but will be periodically collected for scientific evaluation. These periodic collections will take place on 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December (extended to the next working day should the official deadline fall on a non-working day) each year.
After submission, the technical feasibility of each research step will be assessed by the Technical Liaison Network (TLNet). If proposals are submitted well before the collection deadlines, possible technical problems will be promptly identified and solutions worked out and proposed to the users.
Feasible proposals will then be evaluated and ranked according to scientific merit by an external panel of reviewers (ARP).
The best-ranked proposals are assigned to the most appropriate NFFA-Europe site/sites, guaranteeing free access* to the most appropriate combination of methods and instruments. The responsibility of the site choice is entirely on the NFFA-Europe side.
The user group leader is notified by the TLNet of the results of the technical and scientific evaluation and of the assignment to one or more specific NFFA-Europe access sites.
All users are asked to accept and undersign the NFFA-Europe User Declaration Agreement. NFFA-Europe will not schedule any research activity before signed forms from all participants are received by the TLNet.
The user group leader will be contacted by the specific access site/s to agree on a scheduling and to be instructed on specific procedures for access.
The access must start within six months from acceptance (nine months for access to LSF to take into account alignment with standard scheduling calendars) and must be completed in maximum six months from its start.
At the end of the access sessions, users are requested by the NFFA-Europe management to fill in the NFFA-Europe Satisfaction Questionnaire and the NFFA-Europe User Report.
Scientific publications and research data resulting from Transnational Access Activities must comply with some Open Access requirements established by the NFFA-Europe Infrastructure and the European Commission. The list of practical actions to be followed are reported HERE.
The general timeline of all access related procedures can be found here. NFFA-Europe will make all efforts to respect the timeline, with the active collaboration of users.
*Access to the experimental and theoretical installations is completely free of charge. Moreover, a contribution is given for travel and subsistence expenditures (see below the “travel & subsistence support” section for detailed information).
The user group leader and the majority of the users must work in a country other than the country(ies) where the installations are located.
This rule does not apply:
In case of positive proposal evaluation, access for user groups with at least half of the users working in a EU or associated country is granted within the capacity of NFFA-Europe; access for user groups with a majority of users not working in a EU or associated country is limited to 20% of the total access provided by NFFA-Europe.
Only user groups that are allowed to disseminate the results generated within NFFA-Europe can apply, unless the users are working for SMEs (see below).
Users working for or with industry of any size are very welcome to apply for NFFA access either alone or in partnership with academic teams. Access is granted free-of-charge provided results are published with the exception detailed below. Industrial users may also opt for a proprietary access where all work and results remain confidential, with no external peer review evaluation. Industry interested in such a fee-based access is invited to contact TLNet directly for a full explanation of the relevant H2020 project rules.
Users working for SMEs are allowed to use results generated within NFFA-Europe for proprietary research. Proposals submitted by users working for SMEs will undergo technical feasibility check and scientific evaluation as for all NFFA-Europe proposals.
The Technical Liaison Network (TLNet) is the backbone of NFFA-Europe, providing a wealth of skills and technical information across the NFFA-Europe multidisciplinary and multi-site research infrastructure. TLNet supports the full life cycle of user proposals, from first explorative contact by the user to data management. The TLNet will give feedback to requests and questions by users and liaise with contact scientists and specific instruments.
The TLNet tasks are the assessment on the technical feasibility of the proposals and the assignment to the best suited NFFA-Europe sites according to technical requirements and availability and overall optimisation. A mechanism similar to the peer review system of an editorial board is used to rapidly obtain technical responses from the NFFA installations and the best solution for the user is setup.
The first step in approaching NFFA-Europe for specific technical questions can be made by simply sending an e-mail to tlnet@nffa.eu.
The User Office Network (UONet) is a novel pilot support structure for commons and innovative access-support services to the NFFA-Europe Transnational Access programme users. Standardised and harmonised access procedures will smoothen the entrance of Europe's researchers into world-class facilities. By increasing the attractiveness of the Interoperable Distributed Research Infrastructure for Nanoscience (IDRIN), the seamless user access procedures help enhancing the integration of research infrastructures in the European Research Area.
In solid collaboration and concerted effort with the Technical Liaison Network (TLNet), the user office nodes assist the users once they are granted access to one or more sites and schedule the proposal steps. As front offices, staffed or non-staffed, the user office nodes provide support for travel, accommodation, logistics and travel claims reimbursements. Information on health and safety standards to follow (including COVID-19 preventive measures) is supplied. Moreover, novel support services will consist of info helpdesks on gender, insurance, user agreement, visa and legal matters. As back offices, the user office nodes shall verify and validate the online travel claims uploaded by the user in the Metastore database. This innovative methodology enables real-time monitoring of the travel and subsistence expenditure and provides internal user access related statistics.
For further information, please write to uonet@nffa.eu
NFFA-Europe proposals must include access to at least two different types of Installations (Litho/Growth/SM Charact./ECM Charact./Nano to Micro and Theory).
The following exceptions to this general rule are admitted:
Access to Fine Analysis methods only is not allowed as it is directly provided by the Large Scale Facilities, except for proposals employing both neutrons and synchrotron radiation. This is a unique opportunity not provided by other access programs.
Access to Fine Analysis at Large Scale Facilities in the SM and the ECM characterisation installations is limited to 6 UoA per proposal (1 UoA is equivalent to a 8h hour shift - the typical measure of access time at LSFs), to be completed in 4 days at most. In well-justified cases, 3 more UoAs can be granted, for a total of 9 UoA still to be completed in 4 days at most.
If you need to access two different beamlines, 6 UoA in max 4 days per each beamline are allowed but no extra UoAs can be granted.
Since access to NFFA-Europe is not meant for long-term proposals, a maximum number of 20 UoA per proposal is set. Up to 4 extra UoAs can be granted only in well-justified cases. A maximum cumulative usage for a given technique/installation at a given provider by the same user group is set at 50%. When such usage is exceeded, the user will get the appropriate message and proposals from that group will no longer be eligible. In any case, such users will be able to apply in the last two NFFA calls if there is still remaining capacity. This limit will not apply to those techniques locally offered in such low numbers that a reasonable access by the user will consume it anyway.
A preference for access to a specific NFFA-Europe site can be indicated by the users, but this information is not binding for the NFFA-Europe scheduling. Whenever suitable for the performance of the proposal NFFA-Europe will grant access to a single site that includes all the installations needed.
Research steps are not necessarily consecutive. If you need time to perform further work at your home Institution before continuing your research at NFFA-Europe, please justify your choice and add your timeline in the description of work. If your justification is accepted and your proposal is granted access, the scheduling will take into account your needs, with limitations applying only to the total travel and subsistence cost per proposal.
Access may be performed both in-presence and remotely. Remote access could be offered as mail-in or with a higher degree of involvement of the user (real-time cooperation or remote control). Remote access may be offered by the specific facilities when possible and/or necessary. In case your experiment requires shipment of samples and materials (mail-in, mail-out), please contact your local User Office to arrange all shipment details, procedures, and the terms of payment. Should you arrange the shipment indipendently, be aware your access provider may not be able to reimburse the cost incurred by you o by your organisation.
Proposals are prepared and submitted through the NFFA-Europe Single Entry Point (SEP), where you can find an up-to-date catalogue of all tools and methods offered by the six NFFA-EU types of Installation and their geographical distribution, as well as their main technical specifications.
From the catalogue, compose your wish list, made of all the steps required by your research.
Login or sign up if you are a new user to access your online application form.
Before starting to fill in the application form, please read the Terms & Conditions, download the proposal application guide and carefully follow the instructions outlined.
NFFA-Europe proposals are first checked for technical feasibility. Proposals assessed as “feasible” will be then sent for evaluation of scientific merit by an independent, external Access Review Panel (ARP).
The ARP consists of sixteen experts in nanoscience (including a Chairperson) covering all necessary competences foreseen by the NFFA-Europe access programme, including representatives of the Large Scale Facilities to warrant alignment of the selection criteria for optional limited beam time.
The main criteria followed by the ARP in the evaluation process are:
In case of competition between projects at equal level of scientific ranking by referees, a preference will be given to:
Rejected proposals will always be accompanied by a written report explaining the reasons for rejection. Where appropriate, the report will also include recommendations and suggestions for improvement and possible resubmission of a new proposal.
Please be aware that your submission will NOT be evaluated if you did not submit the final questionnaire and the report of your previous proposal(s).
Proposals standing out for their excellent, promising and challenging proposed research, hot scientific and technological topics and their comprehensive approach (i.e. well-justified and balanced access to complementary techniques/methods) will be spotlighted as highlight proposals.
Highlight proposals will be awarded:
Reimbursement for travel and subsistence (T&S) costs for transnational access users is a partial contribution towards their expenses. Based on the EU principles of co-funding and non-profit, NFFA-Europe sets ceilings on refunds to extend financial support to more users. In compliance with national and institutional legislations, reimbursements are based on the accounting standards and procedures in force at the access provider's site. Users should be aware that reimbursement rules and procedures may vary from site to site due to local regulations and practices.
EU funding, up to the available budget, will be allocated for travel and subsistence support to NFFA-Europe users according to the following criteria:
NEP reimburses up to two users per proposal. This allows more research groups to benefit from the financial support provided.
Standard T&S Duration: Normally, the duration of trip cum stay includes two or more travelling days (the onward and the return journeys) and a number of days equivalent to the number of access days granted. One unit of access is the equivalent of a shift of eight hours that corresponds to a day.
Consistency with UoAs: The overall duration of each access session must be consistent with the number of UoAs assigned. For example, a user granted 5 UoAs, which correspond to 5 days of access, cannot be supported for a stay that exceeds this period significantly, such as a two-week stay.
Prolonged T&S Duration: Users may need to add one or two days before and after the scheduled access session for sample preparation, instrumentation setup, data analysis, restoration of the instrumentation setups, sample retrieval. Standard reimbursement terms apply.
Extended T&S Duration: Users may need to add extra days for additional activities. Reimbursement for these extra days may be granted on a case-by-case basis, provided that the activities are complementary to the scientific topic of the NFFA-Europe access proposal. The extra days must be justified with a note in the reimbursement claim.
Maximum Contribution: The maximum contribution per person per site accessed is €500. This means that regardless of the actual travel costs incurred, the maximum reimbursement will not exceed €500 per user per site. Otherwise, it will be equal to the amount of costs incurred, if lower.
Evidence Required: Users must provide evidence of travel expenses. Acceptable documentation includes:
Local Transportation: No refunds will be provided for local transportation expenses incurred on the days between the outward and return journeys.
Maximum Contribution: The maximum contribution per person per day is €100. This covers daily expenses such as accommodation and meals during the trip and the stay at the access site.
Evidence Required: Users must provide evidence of original subsistence expenses. Acceptable documentation includes:
Alternative Requests: Users may be granted lump sum or per diem refunds only on condition it is a common practice in force at the access provider’s site and is agreed beforehand. This system provides flexibility in how subsistence costs are claimed.
No Compensation Between Days: There is no compensation allowed between days when the daily subsistence ceiling has been exceeded and days when subsistence costs are lower.
A proposal may require access to multiple sites. Each refundable user can benefit from the standard reimbursement terms and conditions for T&S costs per geographical site accessed.
Overall Maximum Contribution: For proposals requiring multi-leg access sessions to a single access site, the overall maximum contribution for travel expenses cannot exceed €500 in total.
Subsistence Contribution: The contribution for subsistence remains €100 per person per day for each access session, based on the total number of Units of Access (UoAs) assigned. Travel days are included.
Proposals may require a multi-provider access at one single site. This occurs at sites with a high concentration of providers such as Paris, Barcelona, and Trieste.
Travel Contribution: Ad hoc agreements must be arranged between the access providers regarding how to split the reimbursement of the travel expenses, as well as who will retain the necessary original supporting documentation.
Subsistence Contribution: The contribution for subsistence remains €100 per person per day for each access session, based on the total number of Units of Access (UoAs) assigned. It is recommended that hotel bills be split according to the periods spent under each provider's access period. Travel days are included in this contribution.
Upon request, one NFFA-Europe user per each granted proposal may benefit from Special Training Sections to be carried out in the assigned provider’s laboratory before the scheduled access starting date. The duration of Special Training Visits should typically not exceed 2 weeks and should take place within 6 months from their approval.
NFFA-Europe will cover Travel and Subsistence of the trainee as a simple extension of the scheduled transnational access. The service will be provided as long as the allocated budget is available. For more information, please consult https://nffa.eu/nep-special-training.
General Rules: Comprehensive general rules for travel and subsistence support requests can be found here. These rules provide users with a detailed understanding of the reimbursement process, including eligibility criteria, required documentation, and claim submission procedures.
Detailed Guidelines: Once access is granted, more detailed guidelines specific to the assigned NFFA-Europe site will be provided. The user group leader of the awarded proposal will be contacted by the local coordination of access activities for further instructions. This ensures that users receive tailored guidance relevant to their specific access site, facilitating a smooth reimbursement process.
Contact Information: For further information, users are encouraged to write to uonet@nffa.eu. This contact point provides answers to any additional questions or concerns, ensuring users have the necessary information and assistance throughout the reimbursement process.
