The following types of proposals are available.
| Type | Max Time | Scope | Submission |
| Standard | 1 year | Full proposal with access to multiple facilities. May be designated a Follow-on Proposal if it is a continuation of previous work. | Two annual calls (March and September) |
| Rapid Access | 4-6 months | Short-term projects for time-sensitive research with high potential impact. | Outside of Standard Proposal call and review periods |
| Instrument Only | 6 months | Limited to one or two instruments with downtime available | Any time |
| Sample Only | – | Single transfer to user of a previously developed material | Any time |
| Partner User | 2 years+ | Special partnership projects with broader scope and/or longer time frames than Standard projects, that include contributions to the User Program. | Any time |
| Proprietary Work | 1 Year | Same as standard proposal. User pays for use of facility. | Two annual calls (March and September) |
Note that extensions to activation deadlines and project duration can be requested to accommodate parental leave, medical leave, and other circumstances. Contact the User Office to request an extension.
Standard Proposals
Standard proposals are the most common type of Foundry proposal. These provide one year of access to Foundry facilities and expertise in one Lead Facility, with an option to request support from additional Facilities. Standard proposals must be activated within a year of approval. They can be submitted during the two calls for proposals each year in March and September (the current proposal deadline can be found to the left below the navigation menu). The review process for Standard proposals is typically completed 7 weeks after the submission deadline.
To continue work past one year of activity on an approved project, the user may submit a follow-on proposal. Follow-on proposals are submitted during the call for Standard proposals and use the Standard proposal form. They undergo the same peer-review process as all other Standard proposals.
See examples of high-scoring Standard proposals.
View the Standard Proposal form Content Guide.
Standard proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review.
Follow-on Proposals
Follow-on proposals must be submitted and approved before the end of an active proposal in order to avoid interruption in access.
Follow-on proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review.
Rapid Access Proposals
Rapid Access proposals provide an accelerated pathway to Foundry access, outside of the biannual calls for Standard proposals. A limited number of Rapid Access proposals are accepted in each proposal cycle, and priority is given to time-sensitive research with high potential impact and direct relevance to the Foundry’s strategic priorities. The Foundry User Office (foundry-useroffice@lbl.gov) can offer preliminary feedback on whether Rapid Access is appropriate for a given proposal.
Rapid Access proposals can be submitted at any time except during the Standard proposal submission and review periods, and undergo an accelerated review, typically completed in 2-4 weeks. A successful Rapid Access proposal may remain active until the end of the following review cycle for Standard proposals. Continuation of the work past that date requires that the users submit a proposal during the call for Standard proposals.
Rapid Access proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review.
Instrument-Only Proposals
Instrument-only proposals are suitable for projects that require limited access to one or two Foundry instruments on which users are already trained. Not all instruments are available for Instrument-only proposals; users should check with Facility staff to determine if a given instrument is available.
Instrument-only proposals are accepted and evaluated continuously throughout the year, except during the review period for Standard proposals. Instrument-only proposals receive accelerated review, typically completed in 2-4 weeks.
Instrument-only proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review.
Sample Only Proposals
Sample-only proposals are requests for materials already available or regularly synthesized at the Foundry, such as routinely generated peptoids or quantum dots. These projects receive accelerated review for feasibility internally. Sample-only proposals may be submitted at any time and are evaluated continuously throughout the year.
An executed Materials Transfer Agreement is required before project activation and shipment of samples, in place of the usual User Agreement.
Available materials
Materials that may currently be available are listed below. Contact the User Office for more information about these or other materials.
- WO3 nanorods (ref 1)
- Luminescent inorganic nanocrystals: Upconverting (ref 1, ref 2) and avalanching (ref #) nanoparticles
- LaB6 nanoparticles (ref 1)
- PEDOT-based hybrid thermoelectric materials (ref 1)
- Mg/graphene oxide nanocrystalline hydrogen storage materials (ref 1)
- Inorganic perovskite crystals (ref 1)
- Quinoidal low band gap conjugated polymers (ref 1) More examples of structures and related references available on request.
- Small molecule electron donors and acceptors (ref 1, ref 2)
- Porous organic materials, including covalent organic frameworks, graphitic porous materials (examples of structures and related references available)
- Polyelectrolyte binders (ref 1)
- Nanosheet-forming peptoids (ref 1)
- Peptoid diblock copolymers (ref 1, ref 2)
- Lipitoid 1 (peptoid transfection reagent) (ref 1)
- Plasmids and bacterial strains for expression of electron transfer proteins, i.e. multiheme cytochromes (ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4)
- Plasmids and bacterial strains for expression of surface layer (S-layer) proteins, i.e. SbpA, SbsB, RsaA (ref)
- Patterned apertures for high precision 4D-STEM bragg measurements (ref)
Partner User Proposals
Partner User Proposals are designed to accommodate special partnership projects with broader scope and/or longer time frames than Standard projects, and include user-contributed resources to the User Program. Partner User proposals should be developed with substantial input from Foundry scientists and require a letter of support from the Lead Facility Director.
This proposal type undergoes extensive review by both the Proposal Review Board and the Foundry’s Scientific Advisory Board, which typically requires several months.
The duration of a Partner User proposal is typically two years.
Partner User proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review.
Proposals for Proprietary Work
Users wishing to do proprietary work at the Foundry should notify the User Office of their intent to submit a proposal. Most types of user proposals can be designated as proprietary, enabling the user to withhold research results from publication for up to 5 years. Although the proposed work may be proprietary, sufficient information must be included in the proposal for it to be evaluated for scientific merit, as proprietary proposals undergo the same review process as regular non-proprietary proposals.
Proprietary proposals are subject to requirements for User Agreements and Safety Review. Specifically, proprietary projects require execution of a Proprietary User Agreement and the user must pay for the full costs of use of the facility and staff assistance ($431/hr in 2025). Contact the User Office for the current rate.
