Call for Proposals

Current call: July 30, 2026 - September 15, 2026 (midnight)

• Proposal Instructions  including tips on proposal writing
• CHRNS Proposal Review and Beam Time Allocation
• Obtaining Site Access

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) offers neutron scattering and chemical analysis instruments to all qualified users.  All proposals will be critically reviewed for scientific merit by experts external to the NCNR.

For this proposal round:

Proposal Submission 
You must have an account on the new NCNR Information Management System (NCNR-IMS) to submit a proposal. 

• The Center for High Resolution Neutron Scattering (CHRNS) Instrument proposals will undergo full external and Beam Time Allocation Committee (BTAC) reviews. 
  • CHRNS White Beam Reflectometer (CANDOR)
  • CHRNS High-Flux Backscattering Spectrometer (HFBS)
  • CHRNS Multi-Axis Crystal Spectrometer (MACS)
  • CHRNS Neutron Spin-Echo Spectrometer (NSE)
  • CHRNS Very Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (vSANS)
• All other instruments offered by NIST will be reviewed internally. These are:
  • Thermal Neutron Triple-Axis with Polarized Beam option (BT7)
  • Disk-Chopper Spectrometer (DCS)
  • MAGIK Off-Specular Reflectometer (MAGIK)
  • Small Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument (SANS) - 30 m (NGB)
  • Small Angle Neutron Scattering with Polarized Beam option (SANS) - 30 m (NG7)
  • Powder Diffractometer (Mail-in only) (BT1)
  • Neutron Imaging Facility (NIF)

NOTE! MAIL-IN Samples for Powder Diffraction 
We will accept proposals for relatively simple experiments (i.e., using only the room-temperature sample changer or closed-cycle refrigerators) on the BT1 powder diffractometer on "mail-in" samples. That is, for approved proposals, samples may be mailed to NCNR staff, who will execute the data collection. Up to 25% of available BT1 instrument time may be allocated to such proposals. 

Tips on Proposal Writing
The BTAC recommends that applicants read the tips listed on the proposal instructions page, with new specific suggestions from the SANS subcommittee of the BTAC.

Proposal Length Limit
The experiment description must be uploaded as a pdf file. The latter should include any high-resolution figures and not be longer than 3 letter-size pages (including references), nor larger than 1.5 MB. 

Please contact us! 
We urge all proposers to contact the appropriate instrument scientist with sufficient time before the call deadline to ensure proposals address the key aspects on which they are reviewed and have achievable goals.