We are glad to announce that it is now possible to apply for proposals to the five operational beamlines of SESAME, for the user period October 01st ,2025 to March 31st, 2026.
* The deadline for submitting proposals is June 21st, 2025 at 23:59 (Jordan time*
Proposals for beam time at SESAME
Beam time at SESAME is allocated in two semesters each year. For each semester, there will be a call for proposals. In order to receive notifications of proposal calls, please register for the SESAME User Portal.
Before you submit a proposal
Consult the website for information about SESAME beamlines and specifications.
Contact the relevant beamline scientist at least 2-3 weeks before the deadline to discuss: whether the beamline meets the specifications required for your project; whether your project requires additional instrumentation, and whether this instrumentation can be supplied; and what amount of beamtime would be required for your project.
Read the SESAME User Policy, and familiarize yourself with the rules that govern the use of SESAME and the criteria for evaluation of proposals.
How to submit a proposal
Proposals must be submitted through the SESAME User Portal. If you have not previously registered, you will need to register to obtain a user account. If you have difficulty registering for an account, you can contact the SESAME User Office.
In the section under “Your Proposals”, you can then select “Submit a new proposal”. You will need to complete all sections of the proposal form. For more information about specific sections, see the tips for proposal preparation below. On the final page, you will be able to download a template form for the project proposal itself. You should prepare the document using the downloaded template, and then reupload your completed file as a PDF or RTF file. When finished, submit the proposal by clicking “Check and definitely submit this proposal”.
Tips for proposal preparation
You are strongly recommended to contact one of the beamline scientists for the relevant beamline while you are preparing your proposal. They can advise on the feasibility of your proposed experiment, and provide advice on experimental design.
Experimental Requirements
You are asked to specify whether Multi Bunch or Few Bunch. All current beamlines at SESAME involve Multi Bunch.
To determine the relevant photon energy and photon energy resolution, talk to the beamline scientist or consult the webpages for the relevant beamline on this website.
Safety Information
Safety considerations are rigorously assessed before evaluation of proposals, and it is therefore essential that you provide all relevant information for all materials that will be brought to SESAME. You should complete a safety form for each material, providing all pertinent information. For biological samples, this must include details of treatment or fixation. If you do not provide the required safety information, and do not respond to subsequent requests for further information, your proposal may not be considered further.
Proposal Description
You are asked to provide a two page “SESAME proposal description”, in which you should have the following headings:
Background
Motivation for the present proposal
Experimental plan
Why this work calls for access to SESAME
References
In your proposal, you should answer the following questions:
What do you want to measure? Why is it interesting or important? Why is it important to measure now?
What are the objectives or outputs of the experiment? What will be learned if you are only partially successful?
How will you obtain or prepare samples? Have you already collected other information about these samples?
How do the specific samples or measurements combine to address the overall question of your proposal?
How will access to SESAME, and the particular beamline that you propose to use, drive forward your project?
Do you have experience making the measurements you propose? If you do not have experience, this is not an impediment to your application.
Resubmitting a rejected proposal
Rejected proposals will be stored on the SESAME User Portal, under “Already submitted proposals”. You can select the proposal you want to resubmit, and click “Resubmit”. You are advised to discuss with the relevant beamline scientist how you can update and improve your proposal. Make sure to take into account the comments of the review panel for your rejected proposal. Ensure that all safety information is complete.