UPDATE:
As you may be aware, the proposal submission system is currently unavailable to access. Unfortunately, there have been technical issues with the cloud infrastructure which hosts the proposal system. The relevant teams are working hard to resolve the issue, and we thank you for your patience during this time. Due to this prolonged outage, the LSF access call deadline will be extended by two weeks:
The NEW deadline for proposal submissions is 17:00 BST (UK time) Tuesday 5 August 2025
The proposals are for funded access (facility overheads, UK travel and accommodation) to the Octopus and Ultra facilities of the Central Laser Facility (CLF) in the Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Proposals are invited for the following modes of access:
- Direct (1-4 weeks one-off access within a 6-month period)
- Continuation of Approved Programmes (update on progress and plans for the next 6 months of the programme)
- Lasers4EU Direct Access – see below for more details
- EU Research Infrastructure Access in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology (RIANA) – no deadline, see below for more details
|
Eligibility for access through this call:
- The main applicant must be a UK academic, including postdoctoral researchers, a non-UK academic for Lasers4EU, or a European academic for RIANA
- The main applicant must hold a position that lasts for the duration of the scheduling period
|
Access will be scheduled for the first period of 2026 (between 1 January and 30 June 2026).
It is recommended to contact an appropriate facility staff member ahead of time to help strengthen your application (e.g. obtaining proof of concept data, technical feasibility), see the web pages for Octopus staff and techniques, and Ultra staff and techniquesto find an appropriate contact for your proposal.
EU Access Mechanisms
Access for non-UK academics is available through Lasers4EU (total of 2 weeks available) or RIANA (total of 4 weeks available).
Lasers4EU· Apply through the Direct Access and Ongoing Programmes route on the call website · Answer yes when asked “Are you a non-UK applicant applying as part of Lasers4EU access?” at Section #2 (Facility & Funding) · Submit your CLF application and download a.pdf copy · The PI should use the Lasers4EU online proposal system at https://apply.laserlab-europe.eu/ to submit it |
RIANA |
HiLUX Impact
During 2026, major infrastructure is being installed in the ULTRA facility. HiLUX is an exciting project that will provide the next-generation of time-resolved and non-linear spectroscopy facilities for the user community. Whilst we are not planning to stop operations through this period, we would like to highlight that there may be some impact as follows:
· If there are unexpected equipment failures in our main Ultra operations, we will carefully consider the options of (i) repairing the current operations equipment or (ii) suspending operations to accelerate the HiLUX project. · As the HiLUX project develops there may be opportunities to move scheduled experiments into the new laboratories. This is likely to be later in the year. We will consult with the individual user groups to discuss the balance between experimental benefits and any delivery risk with the new systems. |
Overall, this process will bring major long-term benefits to the user community. Thank you for your patience through this period.
