Standard beamtime access

• Detailed proposal writing hints are HERE.
• We strongly encourage proponents to reach out to ILL scientists before finalising and submitting a proposal. This can significantly enhance the clarity and feasibility of your project, refining the proposal and increasing its chances of success.
• For general queries, contact the User Office (user-office@ill.eu).
• More info

• Submit your proposal via the User Club.
• Detailed proposal submission guidelines are available HERE.
• In case of problems, you will receive full support from the User Club team (club@ill.eu).
• For other queries, contact the User Office (user-office@ill.eu).
• More info

• Proposals are reviewed by the Subcommittees of the Scientific Council approximately 8 weeks after the proposal submission deadline.
• Subcommittee members are specialists in the areas of each ILL College and evaluate the proposals for scientific merit.
• Two-thirds rule": proposals from non-member country proposers are considered only if at least two-thirds of the proposers are affilliated to institutuions in ILL Associate or Scientific Member Countries.  ILL scientists listed as co-proposers are not taken into account in the calculation.
• More info

To ensure the best possible outcomes, we strongly encourage proponents to reach out to ILL scientists before finalising and submitting your proposal. This can significantly enhance the clarity and feasibility of your project (especially in cases where technically challenging or complex set-ups are involved), refining the proposal and increasing its chances of success.

Detailed proposal writing hints are HERE. For general queries, contact the User Office (user-office@ill.eu).

• Supervisors of PhD students who submit proposals must demonstrate their involvement in the project by being listed as proposers and actively participating in the experiment.
• In your scientific explanation, please make sure to add a brief section outlining the roles and responsibilities of each person participating in the proposal or experiment.
• For multi-instruments proposals, make sure that the scientific case, experimental plan and time requested is sufficiently detailed for each instrument. If the available space is not enough, consider submitting different proposals for different instruments.
• In order to maximise the number of reactor days per year, some reactor cycles will last 60 days and provide medium power (about 20% less). You can now tick a box on the proposal form to inform us that your experiment is NOT FEASIBLE with reduced reactor power. Please tick the box if necessary and explain why in the comment box or in your scientific description.
• A specific technical form (doc - 87 Ki) is to be filled in by all users who plan to provide their own experimental set-up. You may use the form to describe the experimental set-up in some detail, and insert a sketch of your apparatus if you think it useful.  

Submit your proposal via the User Club. Detailed proposal submission guidelines are available HERE. In case of problems, you will receive full support from the User Club team (club@ill.eu). Please allow sufficient time for any unforeseen computing hitches. For other queries, contact the User Office (user-office@ill.eu).

• If your academic research is directly linked to industry (for example, industry sponsorship for students or samples) please use the tick-box on the proposal form and give appropriate information in the text box, including if possible the name of the company you are working with. ILL would like to use this information to promote the use of neutrons by industry via academia.
• When submitting a proposal, you are required to accept and adhere to the ILL Access and Publication Policy. Compliance with this policy is mandatory, and you will be asked to abide by its terms throughout your project.
• UK users are asked to provide details on the source of the funding of their research (when applicable). This is a request from STFC. Information on possible. UK users: possible consumables for ILL experiments
  More information can be found here.

• Proposals will be reviewed by the Subcommittees of the Scientific Council, approximately 8 weeks after the deadline for submission of applications. Beamtime allocation is on the basis of scientific merit, provided the experiment proposed meets technical feasibility and safety requirements. 
• Subcommittee members are specialists in relevant areas of each college and they evaluate the proposals for scientific merit, assigning priorities and beamtime to accepted proposals. Before meeting, the subcommittee receives a report on the technical feasibility of the experiments proposed from the appropriate college at the ILL. 
• Shortly after the subcommittees meeting the main proposer will be informed if his/her research proposal has been accepted. if the proposal is not accepted, only brief general reasons are given, as the ILL declines to enter into correspondence concerning decisions made by the scientific subcommittees.
• Beamtime allocation policy - "Two-thirds rule": proposals from non-member country proposers will only be guaranteed a chance of acceptance if they are part of a collaboration with at least two-thirds of the proposers coming from one of the Associate or Scientific Member Countries of the ILL.  ILL scientists listed as co-proposers are not taken into account in the calculation. Furthermore the ILL Director retains the right to limit the number of proposals including scientists from non-members countries. Proposals not fulfilling the 2/3 may still be allocated time from Directors discretion time. These proposals should still be reviewed by the subcommittees and they have to be truly world class and addressing particularly relevant topics.