User Access Guidelines

Now accepting:
  • applications for Pre-Proposals (open all year, except the last 2 weeks before closure of each Standard Access Call). This step is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged.
  • applications for TNA Proposals
  • applications for SME Proposals

Access Modes

This is an optional submission for academic and non-academic users, who have an idea they wish to develop but may be unsure of its general feasibility or of the technique(s) required or are simply interested in complementary techniques they may not be familiar with. Through this option, ReMade@ARI offers the unique possibility for users to access the Science Support, which is comprised of the Smart Science Cluster – about 20 junior scientists who offer direct support – and an Expert Network of senior scientists offering additional advice. These experts are ready to help you translate your challenge into a research project by employing two or more different methods/techniques. Pre-proposals can be submitted for a given period prior to and during an open general call for full proposals. They do not go through a review process and nor lead to the allocation of instrument time. This is only allocated once a full proposal is submitted and approved.

For Standard User Access, calls for proposals are issued twice a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn. This is open to academia (with or without industry collaboration) and industry, with the requirement to share results openly (see Dissemination of Results). For industry submission with confidential results, please see our Industry Access Mode.

The Standard User Access requires that at least two techniques are selected, ideally at two different facilities. If a user wishes to request only one technique, the proposal may be eligible but not prioritized. The goal of using complementary techniques is to have impactful results in Circular Economy-related research and to promote interdisciplinarity of the user community. If a user is unsure of which techniques to use, it is strongly recommended to rely on the Science Support provided through the pre-proposal submission step.

ReMade-SME:

Companies considered as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) according to EU definition and based in the EU, associated countries or third countries can request access to the ARI facilities participating in ReMade-SME.

Calls for proposals are issued once a year. In order to meet the SMEs need for rapid time response, proposals are continuously evaluated by  independent panel of experts based on criteria of scientific merit, innovation potential, exploitation of the RI, and potential impact. Confidentiality will be preserved during the access process and furthermore the SMEs can benefit from access without the need to publish the results.

ReMade-SME users are encouraged to apply for more than one techniques at one (or more) of our facilities. The goal of using complementary techniques is to have impactful results in Circular Economy-related research and to promote interdisciplinarity of the user community.

ReMade-IND:

All types of companies are open to apply to ReMade-IND. With this access mode, proposals are led by an industrial company in collaboration with a knowledge provider (KP), which brings specific skills and knowhow in translating the company challenge into techniques of the ARI network and supporting experiment design, data analysis and interpretation working closely with ARI scientists.

 Two calls for proposals will be issued for this access mode. Proposals will be evaluated remotely by an external panel of independent experts, based on scientific merit, innovation potential, exploitation of the RI, potential impact, budget appropriateness, and the quality of engagement between the industrial and knowledge provider or RTO.

Successful proposals will be granted a maximum of 30.000 EUR to carry out the projects. ReMade-IND projects will be expected to be completed in a maximum of 18 months from their formal acceptance.

Successful proposals from ReMade-SME may also apply to expand the scope and the partnership of their work after an initial SME access has been performed.

For more information, please visit the dedicated Industry & Innovationsection created for the tailored Industrial programmes.

 

We invite you to open our comparative tables to identify the best User Access you need to apply for.

Registration, submission & review - Academics

  • All members of the research team, including the Principal Investigator (PI), must create their own individual accounts in ARIA, (access portal), enabling the PI or the team applicant to identify and select all team members when filling in the full Proposal Form. Detailed instructions on how to register are provided on the host website at Instruct-ERIC.
  • The applicant for the team can submit a title and abstract through the access portal using the pre-proposal form (accessed via “Call” in the top menu of the portal).
  • Users can include questions for our experts in relation to the choice of technique, the experiment itself, data analysis or follow-up.
  • Users will be contacted by the project via the portal within three working days of submission and matched with the most appropriate expert to discuss their idea.
  • Before completing the form itself, the team should complete the Word template of the Project Description, to provide information on the planned experiment, including technical and sample description. This should then be uploaded to the online form.
  • In the portal, the applicant for the team will first be requested to select two (or more) options from the list of techniques (“services”). Once a technique(s) is selected, the selection of a preferred facility is an optional step. The applicant can either:
    • select two techniques and select “Allow ReMade@ARI to assign my facility” (available under each technique). This allows our TNA Coordinator, along with our experts, to review the proposal post-submission and select the most suitable facility/ies for the project (preference will be considered, but the project reserves the right to appoint a different facility) OR;
    • select two techniques AND facility preference.
  • All team members should then be added to the proposal. Once they have created accounts, their names can be found in the search field.
  • The applicant should then complete the Proposal Form. Word and pdf versions are available to review and prepare all inputs in advance. The online Form can be saved in the portal and returned to at any time.
  • The applicant will then be asked to confirm that they have read the Terms of Use and the User Guide, as well as the eligibility criteria and our privacy policy, before submitting, to ensure the proposal fits the criteria for consideration.
  • Once the form has been submitted, the applicant and all team members selected, including the PI (if not the applicant) will receive a confirmation by email.
  • All proposals will be checked by our TNA Coordinator. For each proposal the following will be done:
    1. If no facility was selected, one or more facilities will be assigned to the proposal.
    2. If one or more facilities were selected, these choices will either be confirmed by the TNA Coordinator, or a different facility will be assigned. This may happen be due to scientific considerations or a matter of available instrument time.
  • If assignment or change of facility is required, this amendment will be done in the proposal directly by the Project Administrator, and the applicant will be notified.
  • The technical feasibility of each proposal will be assessed by the appropriate scientist at the chosen facility/ies. This check aims to ascertain that the project can be dealt with successfully.
  • If revisions are needed to improve the proposal, these will be proposed in the technical report.
  • All proposals will be assigned three Reviewers from our Proposal Review Panel and given an overall grade. The main criteria for evaluation by our Reviewers (see our Reviewer Guidelines) are:
    • scientific excellence and;
    • expected impact of the results on the Circular Economy.
  • The threshold grade for acceptance will be decided once all proposals have been reviewed.
  • In case of competition between projects at equal level of scientific ranking by Referees, a preference will be given to:
  • user groups who have not previously used ReMade@ARI facilities and who are working in countries where no equivalent research infrastructure exists,
  • proposals of greatest benefit to Europe (proportion of EU scientists, collaboration within Europe, EU company benefiting from the research, participation of widening countries)
    • user groups with a fair balance of male/female team members.
    • An email will be sent to notify the PI/team of the outcome of their submission:
      • Accepted – the proposal has been granted TNA access.
      • Rejected – the proposal has not been granted TNA access and comments explaining the reasons for rejection are provided. The Feasibility and Reviewer reports are also available in the portal for the team’s consideration.
  • Once a proposal is accepted, the User Office (or equivalent) contact at the facility/ies will contact the team to verify details of access, ensure the availability of resources to accommodate the access request, host users, provide on-site support, safety aspects, etc. The team may get in touch with the facility/ies at any time via the portal messaging system.
  • The ReMade@ARI submission does not replace the application to the facility(ies) itself. A second application will need to be made either by the users according to instructions given by the facility, or by the facility itself. No additional local “review” of the proposal will be made at this stage.
  • Access should begin within 6 months of acceptance, depending on the type of access required. Depending on the technique chosen, facilities may offer agile access in a shorter time. Access should be completed in a maximum of 12 months from its start.
  • After the visit(s) has/have taken place, the Main Applicant will receive an automated email requiring them to complete the User Feedback Form in the portal to provide feedback on the visit and the ReMade@ARI project in general.
  • Submission of the Experimental Report as an attachment in the User Feedback Form is a requirement after access is completed. The template for this is also available on our documents page.

Registration, submission & review - Industry

Please visit the dedicated “Industry & Innovation” section created for the tailored industrial programmes.

Eligibility criteria

Access to the facilities is completely free of charge and includes the logistical, technological and scientific support and specific training that is needed to use the services provided by the facility. Moreover, a contribution is given for travel and subsistence expenditures. TNA is provided in two types:

  • in person (physical) access, with users visiting the facilities in person and receiving the service “hands-on”.
  • remote access, e.g.” hands-off” access to the facility, analysis of mail-in samples, remote access to a high-performance computing facility, with resources and services offered without users physically visiting the facility/installation.

To be eligible for TNA, the following criteria must be fulfilled:

  • The PI and the majority of the team must work in a country other than the country(ies) where the facilities are located, unless access is provided by an international organisation such as an ERIC .
  • Only user groups that are allowed and willing to disseminate the results they have generated under the action may benefit from the access (unless working for SMEs).
  • The User Feedback Form in the access portal has been completed and submitted by the applicant for any previous project(s).

ReMade@ARI promotes the EU Gender Equality Strategy towards a gender-equal Europe. Gender equality in scientific research and specifically encourages applications from women. The prerequisite to scientific and societal prosperity is the creation of an atmosphere of acceptance and trust, embracing all differences stemming from personal ways of life or personal living situations, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, ideologies, biographies, religion, beliefs, disability, age, appearance, and many other aspects.

Site Access and Financial support

The User Officer (or equivalent) is responsible for contacting the user group directly to provide information on site access, accommodation, insurance and medical conditions, shipping of samples, safety and all other information related to the visit. Users are highly encouraged to book accommodation and travel as soon as a proposal is accepted and scheduled, to avoid extra costs due to late booking. In particular, please contact the User Office of the hosting facility as early as possible to check for the availability of rooms in a guesthouse.

EU funding will be allocated to travel and subsistence support to user groups who fit the eligibility criteria. A maximum of two researchers per experiment/visit are entitled up to a maximum of 600 EUR reimbursement each, based on a calculated reimbursement of:

  • up to 300 EUR per user for travel costs.
  • up to 50 EUR per night/per user for accommodation up to a maximum of 6 nights.

Users are entitled to reimbursement after submission of the User Feedback Form in the access portal. To receive reimbursement, users should fill in this reimbursement form and send a signed version in PDF-  together with invoices and receipts of travel and accommodation expenses to reimbursement@remade-project.eu.

The overall duration of a stay must be consistent with the experiment days scheduled for the respective user experiment. If no justification for an extended stay is provided, the maximum number of supported days equals the number of experiment days plus two.

Dissemination of results​

Users are obliged to acknowledge support from   ReMade@ARI by the following text string that needs to be literally included into the publication;

“Funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-INFRA-2021-SERV-01 under grant agreement number 101058414 and co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee (grant number 10039728) and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 22.00187.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council or the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.”

It is imperative that all research funded or co-funded by Horizon Europe adheres to the mandate of open access publication.

This requirement is especially pertinent for findings derived from the trans-national access initiative of ReMade@ARI.

OpenAire’s guidance offers detailed and comprehensive instructions on fulfilling this obligation.

Comparison between the 3 access tracks