Accessing Beamtime on the Australian Synchrotron

Until mid 2013, there were two schemes under which New Zealand Researchers could gain access to beamtime on the Australian Synchrotron. One of those, Foundation Investor Access, has been discontinued with effect from August 2013.

All future applications will be for Merit Access. New Zealand is guaranteed 5% of the beamtime at the Australian Synchrotron. There are three cycles each year. Please check here for information on the latest call for proposals.

Eligibility to Apply

Because access to the Synchrotron is now linked to the contribution New Zealand is making towards the operating costs of the facility, there are some restrictions on who can apply. Applicants must be a regular staff member (not a visitor or adjunct staff member) or an enrolled student at one of the institutions who are contributing funding (currently Auckland, Massey, Waikato, Victoria, Canterbury and Otago universities, GNS Science and Callaghan Innovation Research Ltd). This restriction also applies to any New Zealand-based co-applicant named in a proposal to the Synchrotron for beamtime.

Applications are made through the Australian Synchrotron portal

Proposals are evaluated by Program Advisory Committees who rank the proposals based on merit. Final selection and scheduling takes into account the proportion of beamtime that each funding group is entitled to. In New Zealand’s case, this is 5%.

More information: Merit Access Proposals