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- Before your experiment
- A FORM (to prepare experiment)
Only the main proposer can complete, modify and submit the A Form by using his/her login (last name) and personal SMIS password.
The electronic A Form, available via the User Portal, provides the ESRF with the information necessary to prepare:
Information in this page (click on + to open the item):
See also the page "The ESRF Safety Group": Preparing for your experiment"
Reminder:
Important - Travel arrangements for subsidised users will be more flexible for trips that are organised early. No reimbursement or contribution to travel expenses will be made for travel requests made less than 2 weeks (10 working days) before the arrival date. It is therefore important to organise the user visits well in advance of the experiment.
Sample sheets can be added through the A Form up to 3 calendar days before the experiment.
Each experimental session requires a separate A Form.
All the information necessary to prepare the experimental session is registered through 4 tabs:
Structural Biology experiments: see also point 5
The working language of the ESRF is English: therefore IT IS MANDATORY that at least one fluent English-speaking scientist participates in the experiment onsite.
each user must validate his/her electronic and personal "User & Safety Declaration Form" relevant to the experimental session,
each user must have followed and validated his/her Online Safety Training Course.
Both the "User & Safety Declaration Form" and the online Safety Training can be accessed via the ESRF User Portal
The ESRF is notified about a user, through the submission of the A Form, ONLY IF the user has completed all required actions (i.e. the on line Safety Training and validation of the personal 'User & Safety Declaration Form' specific to the session).
A scientist can consult/check the A Form completed by the main proposer only once he/she has been added to the A Form as a user (each registered user receives an automatic notification informing him/her that he/she has been added to an A Form).
The information necessary to prepare the experiment must be provided in:
To allow the submission of the A Form by the Main-Proposer, ear user registered on it must:
At the submission of the A Form the all the information concerning the users and the experiment is communicated to the ESRF.
An A Form can be updated and re-submitted when necessary, but should be avoided when it is closed to the starting date of the experiment.
Reminder: only the Main-Proposer can complete and submit an A Form. The Users can only consult the A Form.
The Main Proposer should:
Structural Biology (MX) Experiments: see point 5 in this page
For each user selected from the ESRF data base, the Main Proposer needs to indicate:
REMINDER:
1. The box 'reimbursed' in the A Form is available ONLY if the user has completed the tab 'reimbursement data' in his/her user account.
2. The box "Travel Office" in the A Form is available ONLY for a user registered as "reimbursed"
Note: there is no need to request a 'canteen card'. The site entrance badge given to all users carries the canteen credit during the stay on site. It will be either charged by the ESRF (reimbursed users) or empty for the non-reimbursed users who have to charge it themselves.
Register the sample sheet describing the sample to be studied during your experiment.
For all categories of experiments you are asked to provide specific information on the sample such as:
Specific information is required for the Structural Biology experiments.
The request for support labs is also made through this tab with links to the appropriate request forms to be completed and to be sent to the scientists in charge of the laboratories.
A “COMMENTS” box is available at the bottom of the A Form where the Main-Proposer can add any type of complementary information regarding accommodation or travel requests.
Once completed the necessary information in all tabs:
1. Choose the option 'Temporarily Save A Form' (button at the top left of the page).
"Temporarily Save A Form" -> At this point, the A Form cannot be submitted
2. Each user listed receives an automatic notification asking him/her to validate his/her personal electronic 'User & Safety Declaration'.
3. Via the User Portal and his/her user account, each user validates his/her individual "User & Safety Declaration Form" for the appropriate session and should notify you (in view to submitting the A Form).
4. At least one user is in good standing (i.e. he/she has both a validated 'User & Safety Declaration Form' and a validated safety training course): you may submit the form:
At this point, only the names of users in good standing for the session are communicated to the ESRF through the submission of the A Form.
5. Once all users are in good standing, resubmit the A Form a final time, at least 2 weeks before the start of the experiment.
The main proposer should ensure that the final submission of the A Form is made once all listed users have validated their declaration form and performed their Safety Training.
Please consult the previous points as they give general information for the completion and submission of an a form which are common to all types of experiments.
However user operation modes specific to the Structural Biology beamlines exist and each one determines specific requirements for the registration of the users.
Since 16 April 2018, the ESRF pays for either a user to travel or for the transport of a sample dewar to/from the beamlines, provided that the reimbursed users and dewars are registered in the A Form and that the sending of the dewars is organised according to the procedures clearly defined by the ESRF and the scientists of the Structural Biology beamlines.
The various options of completion of an A Form for an MX experiment are all described below: please read carefully.
User Operation Modes on the Structural Biology beamlines
Registration of reimbursed users and reimbursed dewars (transport cost paid by the ESRF)
Mail-in experiment: how to complete the A Form
Registration of SANS-SAXS Users
Safety Trainings
Samples: registration
Travel with samples
Submission of the A Form
Normal operation mode
Remote Access experiment
This mode is available on all Structural Biology beamlines except MASSIF-1 (ID30A-1), CM01 and BM29.
The experiment may be “complete” Remote Access (no users physically present, all are collecting data remotely) or “hybrid” remote access (some users physically present and others collecting data remotely).
Mail-in experiment - ONLY on ID30A-1 (MASSIF1) and CM01 (Cryo-EM)
This operation mode concerns ONLY experiments on beamline ID30A-1 (MASSIF-1) and CM01: no user present on site, the samples are sent.
See "Mail-in experiment: how to complete the A Form" ("reimbursed dewars")
The reimbursed users and the reimbursed dewars must be both registered in the A Form, through the "User" tab.
The procedures implemented that allow the registration of reimbursed dewars (payment by the ESRF of the transport of sample dewars) in connection with the registration of reimbursed users through the electronic A Form require the maximum of attention and care from the main-proposers in charge of the completion and submission of the A Form.
Why?
On submission of an A Form by the Main-Proposer:
This means that:
Therefore the users must be aware that the modification of the number of reimbursed users and/or reimbursed dewars, once an A Form has been submitted, will not be accepted in order to avoid any discrepancies between the reimbursement requests already processed and the new requests.
The Main-Proposers are therefore requested:
STEPS
Through the "Users" tab
The Main-proposer:
Note: the number of “reimbursed dewars” proposed is linked to the number of reimbursed users previously selected in the section "added users".
The “reimbursed” checkboxes are disabled when the maximum number of "reimbursed" users and/or reimbursed dewars is reached;
IMPORTANT: At that stage - the A Form is saved but not submitted -, the number of reimbursed users and/or reimbursed dewars can still be modified since no information/request has been officially exported to ISPyB nor to ESRF.
The Main-Proposer submits the A Form:
Shipping the samples using ISPyB/EXI and FedEx:
The ESRF pays the cost of the transport of MX sample dewars ONLY if both ISPyB and FedEx are used to organise respectively the shipment and the transportation of the dewars.
See complete instructions on how to send your dewars using ISPyB, the dewar tracking system, and the courier company FedEx HERE.
The Main Proposer must complete the A-form as follows:
"Users" tab
"Samples" tab
Mail-in Safety Training
Sending of sample dewars
The dewar shipment via ISPyB/EXI and the organisation of the transport of the dewars with FedEx are carried out as for all other MX beamlines.
If the MAIL-IN service is to be used:
The users should be registered through A Form for their whole stay (covering the full duration of the two experiments) through the ESRF A Form, where all requests for travel, accommodation and reimbursement for the full period of the two experiments should be made. When requested by the users, the ESRF will arrange the travel and book the accommodation (Guesthouse).
Consult also information on reimbursement regulations for SANS-SAXS Users.
All safety trainings are available through the User Portal, tab "Safety".
The course must be taken and validated before the A Form is submitted.
The "Remote Access Training" and "Mail-in Access Training" do NOT replace the Standard Safety Training Course; the standard course should be completed if the user intends to visit the ESRF at any point for an experiment.
For a Structural Biology experiment, at least ONE SAMPLE SHEET must be selected through the "Sample tab" to allow the submission of the A Form
Normal, Remote Access and Mail-in
The main proposer must specify in A Form which sample(s) will be studied during that specific session: the sample(s) are declared in the "Sample" tab:
If a list of sample sheets is shown but a new sample sheet is needed:
If the A Form has already been submitted and a sample has changed:
A new sample sheet must be created: go to the 'Samples' tab of the A Form, click on the quick link 'manage samples'.
Information on the sample environment is provided by the users in the "Sample Environment" tab in which the users can also request the use of support facilities.
If you travel with sample(s) and require an Airport Form you must request it from the ESRF Biosafety Engineer as soon as you receive your invitation to carry out an experiment at the ESRF. Please send an e-mail to the Safety Group or the Biosafety Officer with the following information:
Attention: This letter for the airport security is only valid for going back from the ESRF to your home institute.
The ESRF will not issue an airport form for your travel to the ESRF: for your travel to ESRF please contact the safety office in your home institute.
Further information on the Airport Form can be found here.
Once all requested actions are done for the completion of the A Form, the A-form must then be submitted.