TNA

Transnational Access (TNA) will be provided by 7 partners of the SPIRIT consortium. The project will in particular profit from the corresponding experience of the coordinator FZD, who successfully offered / is offering TNA to European users under FP5 and FP6. However, there is a longstanding experience of all involved infrastructures in giving access to external users.

Transnational Access (TNA) will be provided throughout the duration of the project at 7 infrastructures. Table shows that the SPIRIT TNA activities will be focused on Materials Science, Biomedical Studies and Environmental Investigations including Cultural Heritage, covering the application of ion beams for materials analysis and for irradiation / materials modification. A wide spectrum of specific devices, methods and processes is available within the consortium, which covers standard applications and novel developments and is inline with the international state-of-the art.

Proposals are regularly evaluated by a SPIRIT-independent international user selection panel. Submitted proposals are reviewed by factors such as scientific and technical originality, feasibility and quality of the research group. SPIRIT encourages new users, users from New Member States, and participation of young researchers (e.g. Ph.D. students) and female scientists to apply for TNA.

When a user presents a proposal, help is granted, especially for new or inexperienced users. In particular, support by scientists is available by e-mail (info@spirit-ion.eu) to advise on the technical feasibility of projects before submission of proposals. Thus, prevention is taken to avoid that proposals generated by new users are downgraded simply on the basis of errors or misconceptions in the technical aspects. New users whose proposals have not been positively evaluated are encouraged to re-submit, after taking into account the comments by the selection panel.

The users of chosen proposals, once criteria of eligibility are satisfied, obtain free access to the facility including infrastructure, logistical, scientific and technical support, and travel and accommodation grants.

Main fields of application, specific processes of ion-based materials analysis and modification, and contributions of the individual infrastructures