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TRIAL - Successive Pathway - XAS and MEX1 - keep your proposal for the next round

TRIAL - Successive Pathway - XAS and MEX1 - keep your proposal for the next round

Successive Pathway

Many technically feasible proposals narrowly miss the merit cut-off for beamtime and are resubmitted with minimal changes, undergoing full technical and scientific review again. The Successive Pathway allows eligible proposals to be carried forward into the next round without undergoing re-review. Proposals receive a small positive score adjustment to maintain competitiveness.

Background

Over the years we have received numerous requests to allow unsuccessful proposals to carry over into the next round. This functionality had been limited by the User Portal, but in 2025/2026 the Australian Synchrotron has devised a method to allow users to highlight a proposal they’d like to resubmit and make eligible in the latest round. This would not allow dual resubmission of a proposal through the Successive Pathway and normal merit scheme. You may only submit the proposal through one of these methods.

In 2026/3 we are trialing this system for the XAS and MEX1 beamlines. The trial will run for three rounds: 2026/3, 2027/1, and 2027/2.

Eligibility:

A proposal qualifies if it:

  • Was feasible in the Technical/Safety review,

  • Has not previously used the Successive Pathway, and

  • Scored close to the cut-off (within 1 standard deviation) in the previous round.

  • Eligible PIs will be invited by the User Office

Guidelines:

  • No changes allowed: Only co-proposers may be updated.

  • Score adjustment: Improvement to the previous PAC score.

  • Review: Proposals retain previous Technical & Scientific reviews.

  • Carry-over: Proposals can be held for one additional round only.

  • Duplicate submissions: Only one version per proposal per round is allowed; the User Office will confirm with the PI if duplicates occur.

How to apply:

  • If you have an eligible proposal, you will receive an invitation from the User Office.

  • Create a new proposal in the round labelled ‘INVITE ONLY - XXXX/X Successive Pathway’.

  • Enter the proposal ID of the original submission and attach its PDF from the Portal.

  • The requested number of shifts must not change.

 

For more information, please contact the User Office at user.office.vic@ansto.gov.au