Project Application Materials

This page details the information you will be asked to provide when completing a data collection service project or exploratory screening & freezing service project application on the User Portal.

-Project Title (80 characters or less)

-Project Type (i.e., Data Collection Service or Exploratory Freezing & Screening)

-Project Abstract (150 words or less)

Project Documents (pdfs)

Project Description Document (1,000 words or less)

  • Aims & Impact (150 words or less): Please state the specific objectives of your project. Include the scientific and technological importance of your project.
  • Feasibility & Data (300 words or less): Provide information and preliminary data for the samples associated with this proposal that impact the feasibility of cryoEM studies (e.g., molecular weight, stability, homogeneity, sufficient concentrations, etc...) Reference all figures uploaded in the Preliminary Data Document and provide a brief description as appropriate.
  • Proposed Experiments (150 words or less): Describe the work to be conducted at the national center during the awarded project period. For each aim and/or sample under investigation, provide a detailed description of the experiment(s) to be performed and expected outcomes. The strength of justification can affect the overall science and resource scores.
  • Goals & Expectations (200 words or less): Please describe the goals for this project. This section should also include a justification for specific instruments requested, if any, and for the estimated allocation of time needed for each experiment.
  • Expertise & Resources (200 words or less): Describe the team's expertise in CryoEM sample preparation, microscope operation, and data interpretation.  Please state the available CryoEM and/or computational resources that your team has access to.

Supporting Documents

  • Preliminary Data Document (i.e., Figures/Preliminary Results): Scientific figures with captions that are referred to within the Feasibility and Data section of the Project Description Document. Experimental preliminary data may include SDS-PAGE gels, SEC traces, negative-stain electron micrographs, preliminary cryoEM screening, 2D class averages, lower resolution 3D reconstruction, etc…
  • Publication History Document (optional)
  • Biosketch Document (optional)

Safety Information

Provide a description of your samples including the type(s), source organism(s), and associated hazards such as toxicity and biohazard safety level (risk group).

Biosafety Documents

Upload material approval documents from your institution (e.g., IBC documents, MSDS, approved SOP/protocols).  If not presently available, this documentation must be provided with a microscope time request later in the process.

Research Team 

Identify members of your research team.  The Principal Investigator is the person responsible for the overall research in this project.  lead Contact(s) are also able to fulfill the responsibilities of submitting microscope time requests and corresponding with S2C2 staff.  The person submitting the proposal is automatically made a lead contact, but this may be changed to another team member at the time of application.

  • Principal Investigator: The Principal Investigator (PI) is the lead scientist for the overall research project. PIs are generally the "research group leader" or "head of the laboratory" who share authority and responsibility for leading and directing the research, intellectually and logistically. PIs typically conceive of investigations and are accountable to their organizations and funding agencies. Unless authority is delegated to a Lead Contact, the PI takes responsibility for the coordination of proposal scheduling, access to the facility by proposal collaborators, and oversight of the experiments conducted at the facility.
  • Collaborators: Individuals who are invited to participate in the proposed research.  Collaborators are regarded as Co-Proposers and participate in the research in various ways including sample preparation, theory, related experimentation, data collection, data reduction, data analysis, presentation of results, and/or publications.
  • Collaborating PI(s): Collaborating PI(s) are involved in the intellectual aspects of the project and may contribute to the overall data collection, processing strategy, and funding to achieve the project aims.
  • Lead Contact: The Lead Contact will share the PI's responsibility for the conduct of the proposed experiments, including coordination of proposal scheduling, access to the facility by proposal collaborators and oversight of the experiments conducted at the facility.

To enter any individual, start with their last name or email address to access and select names already in our database.  If no matching record is found, enter a name and email address.  They will be invited to register in the SLAC user portal at the time the proposal is accepted.

Covid-19 Related Proposal (Y/N)

Projects involving Covid-19 will be given an expedited review and priority access to microscope time if approved.

Grants

Provide funding source, grant number, and grant title supporting biological sample procurement or production, user transportation, local room and board for onsite users, and shipping of samples (and dewar return shipping).

Publication Information

List publications, patents, and major awards that resulted from previous CryoEM experience.