The UK Hub for the Physical Sciences on XFELs has funding to support the basic logistical and consumable and immediate experimental needs of the UK Physical Science community. The Hub supports all UK Physical Science users of XFELs as far as its resources allow. Funding is available for experiments on the European XFEL and other international XFEL facilities.
The following funding is currently available:
PhD funding - a number of Physical Science PhD projects are currently being jointly funded by the Hub. Any announcements regarding the next call for jointly funded PhDs will appear on this website (PhD call now open!). Please get in touch if you have any questions regarding PhD funding.
Travel and Subsistence for FAP-awarded experiments - Where access time has been granted by an XFEL facility (via a FAP), but T&S support isn't available either via the host facility or by grant funding, T&S would be provided for principal investigators and their team to perform their experiment. In these cases a total of 6 people would be funded to attend for up to 7 days for each experiment.
Travel and Subsistence for collaborative experiments - One-off bursaries are available for researchers to attend “training”
experiments, where, with agreement, they would join an experiment led by
another PI (UK or international), where they could gain valuable experience of
how XFEL experiments are performed, interact with XFEL facility staff and
foster new collaborations. Bursaries would cover T&S for 2 researchers to attend an experiment for up to 7 days.
- Scientific Networking - This will allow prospective XFEL PIs to attend XFEL User meetings or international workshops in order to develop their knowledge of XFEL capabilities and help them submit proposals in future. Alternatively bursaries are available for students to attend relevant summer schools.
Targetry / Sample preparation - For any FAP-awarded experiment, funding may be available (depending on volume and complexity) to the UK PI to support the production and preparation of custom targetry or samples if grant (or host facility) funding is unavailable. Requests
for support with targetry and sample preparation would be facilitated by the
CLF’s Target Fabrication group and Diamond sample support groups as appropriate.
Applying for Funding
In order to apply for funding you must be a UK-based academic in the Physical Sciences and have no access to appropriate alternative funding that could support your proposed activities. If you are applying for T&S or Targetry / Sample preparation funding for an experiment it must have already been allocated time on an XFEL facility. Requests for funding will be subject to an approval process, with all approved travel requests processed by the CLF User Office.
To apply for funding click HERE to download a short pro-forma. Once completed, please email to james.green@stfc.ac.uk.
