General Information
This site informs possible EMP users about the capabilites of EMP and how they can apply. Furthermore we prepared a Summary of our Rules and Conditions, which we recommend for reading prior to application.
Transnational Access to EMP
EMP offers European scientists and engineers transnational access to eight ultra-low temperature laboratories in Basel, Heidelberg, Helsinki, Grenoble, Kosice, Lancaster, London and Vienna to conduct their ultra-low temperature research and development work in e.g. cryo-engineering, material science, metrology, nano-electronics and physics.
Access is granted on the basis of proposals which will be reviewed by the EMP Selection Panel. Proposals can be submitted any time using the online portal. The EMP consortium is financially supported by a Horizon 2020 grant by the European Commission, hence local expenses of the user group (i.e. accommodation, travel, ...) and experimental costs will be covered to a certain extent.
A user group can consist of one or more researcher stemming from various affiliations. Access for user groups with the majority of members not working in a EU or associated country is possible, but is limited to 20% of the total access time provided by EMP. Only user groups that are allowed to disseminate the obtained results may benefit from the access (with the exception of Small or Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)).
Information for Potential Users
Logistic and technical support. The local administration at each access-giving site will provide visitor support for visa, travel and accommodation-related matters. Users will be provided with fast computer networks connections at the facility site, supported by local operators, and with electronic access to most scientific journals. All sites have established infrastructures for ultralow temperature research supported by well-trained local personnel.
Scientific support for users will be provided by the local operators at the facilities as well as by the participants of the user meetings. For efficient progress, the best means is where a new experimental proposal parallels and builds on the expertise gained from our present research and that of the user groups involved. For any project, representatives from the user group will be able to visit the facility to discuss the planning, to become acquainted with local team, and to familiarize themselves with the local working methods. This procedure ensures that projects are already carefully prepared before the actual design and construction stages. The two-way interaction between user group and the local access-giving team will last naturally for the duration of the project through to publication.
How to Apply
Proposals for using one or several of the EMP facilities can be submitted online any time. It requires to fill out the online proposal form and to submit it. To do so you have to log in with your EMP account. If you have no EMP account, you can request one within the login process. We strongly suggest to read the information provided on this site before submitting a user proposal.
If you are looking for specific information, a good starting point is our Summary of Rules and Conditions. We also prepared an example proposal for you. You should contact your preferred access-giving site prior to submitting the proposal and discuss the feasibility of your project at this particular facility.
Evaluation Procedure
User projects are selected by an independent Selection Panel (SP), which will review the proposals. The review process will be fully online, which means that all proposals are submitted online, distributed to panel members by the panel chair via the online portal and the decision will be communicated to the users via the portal. Proposals can be submitted any time and will be reviewed typically within less than six weeks.
Further details on our selection principles and criteria can be found here.
A list of accepted, ongoing and completed projects will be posted on the public EMP web-based user portal. The selection of proposals shall be based on excellence in science and on feasibility at EMP facilities. Once a proposal is accepted, you'll be referred to the access-giving sites to arrange further details.
User Meetings
EMP organizes user meetings every year. The next meeting will take place online due to pandemic restrictions (April 5th, 2022). Local scientists, technicians and current or former users will present their research during this one-day-meeting. This allows us to share valuable information, obtain valueable user feedback and discuss on plans for future or ongoing experiments. Furthermore, users are invited to present their scientifc results at those meetings.
Data Management Plan / Open Research Data
EMP fully subscribes to the principle that good research data management is the “key conduit leading to knowledge discovery and innovation, and to subsequent data and knowledge integration and reuse”. We will therefore preserve, curate and share data to maximize the impact. EMP is therefore participat in the extended “Pilot on Open Research Data in Horizon 2020”.
This approach includes research data generated within user projects. Details can be found in our Data Management Plan. Chapter 3 of our DMP is devoted to data generated by TNA users. All applicants must accept the DMP during the application process.