Proposal Guidelines

CINT is a DOE Office of Science national user facility for basic and applied research. Access is available to researchers from academia, industry, and government institutions via the peer-review process. Proprietary use is also available, subject to DOE's full-cost recovery formula. Contact the CINT User Office for details.

Submission Site

Only web-based proposal submissions will be accepted. Any other forms will be returned to the PI. (We cannot accept classified proposals.) As you prepare to submit your proposal, please refer to the Proposal Submission Guide document.

What Your Proposal Should Contain

CINT user proposals are evaluated by external reviewers based on six specific proposal elements.  Proposals lacking any of that information will be at a competitive disadvantage for access to CINT.  

All CINT user proposals are expected to explicitly contain the following six elements within the 2-page limit:

1. What are the main scientific questions being addressed in this user project including the connection to nanoscience?  (suggested length – 200 words)
2. Briefly describe the state of research in this area and how your work is advancing the field. (suggested length – 150 words)
3. What is the expected impact of this user project? (suggested length – 150 words)
4. What specific work will be performed at the user’s institution in preparation for, or in support of, the proposed CINT work? (sample preparation, complementary characterization, calculations)
5. What specific tasks will be performed by the user(s) in conjunction with CINT?  For each task, include task duration, expected task outcome, requested instrument(s) and CINT staff engagement.  (This should be the longest and most detailed section.)
6. Key References

Review Process

The Proposal Review Committee (PRC) will use criteria endorsed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics to evaluate user proposals. The principle criteria will be science quality, followed by relevance to CINT themes and programs. Proposals for proprietary use will follow a similar but separate process. PRC members will provide a spread in scores between highest and lowest rated proposals thereby providing the basis for CINT resource allocation. The CINT Management Team will balance PRC recommendations with available center resources to decide on awarding final user access.

Proposal Approval

You will receive formal notification of the decision regarding your User Proposal.

Upon approval of your proposal, the CINT User Office will contact you to determine and schedule applicable training, assist with travel arrangements, initiate any required foreign national access approvals, and help with other needs you may have.

If you are not a U.S. citizen (or are bringing a non-U.S. citizen team member), please contact the CINT User Office as soon as you receive notice of the visit dates.

All safety and badging rules of the Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories must be followed while on site. Appropriate safety training will be provided.

Reprints of publications resulting from work done at CINT must be sent to the CINT User Office at cint@lanl.gov. Publications must credit the CINT facility.