PAMEC, Properties of Actinide Materials under Extreme Conditions (ActUsLab)

The Properties of Actinide Materials under Extreme Conditions (PAMEC) facility consists of an ensemble of state-of-the-art installations designed for basic research on behaviour and properties of actinide materials under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, external magnetic field and chemical environment. The facility includes devices for measurements of crystallographic, magnetic, electrical transport, and thermodynamical properties as well as facilities for Np-237 Mössbauer spectroscopy, and a modular surface science spectroscopy station allowing photoemission, atomic force microscopy, and electron scattering measurements.

Priority topics of PAMEC

1. Preparation of actinide compounds and complexes in various forms (Thin films, bulk polycristals, single crystals) and small quantities, suitable for physical measurements.
2. Characterization of actinide materials by X-ray diffraction
3. Measurements of their Physical Properties by a large array of microscopic and macroscopic techniques under extreme conditions of temperature, magnetic field and pressure.
4. Preparation of samples for external measurements in large facilities (synchrotrons, neutron sources, accelerators).
5. Fundamental research on materials and methods related to nuclear safety

Definition and conditions of access

Access to the research infrastructure is granted on the basis of Access Units. For PAMEC, the Access Unit corresponds to a 'Measurement day' made available for the experimental activities.

Physical access to the laboratories is restricted to opening hours but, in certain conditions, automatic measurements can be performed when the laboratories are closed. The Users can use the JRC in-house equipment with the help of JRC staff. Employment of User's own equipment is not recommended in the JRC radioactive laboratories, because of the strict radiation protection rules in force at JRC Karlsruhe. If the use of own equipment is necessary, this has to be indicated and duly justified in the proposal and should be coordinated already a few weeks before the scheduled laboratory time. Users can only participate in experiments led in the PAMEC laboratory by in-house staff scientists or technicians.

All users will be requested to complete and deliver safety and security-related documents to get access to the radioactive hot laboratories. Approval of access is subject to the rules of the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre and the German authorities. Submission of documents should therefore be started in due time to allow completion of the approval procedure well before the start of the experiment.

• Estimated total number of Measurement Days allocated to the call: 75*
• Average number of Measurement Days per Project: 10-15
• Estimated costs excluding consumables and expenses:
  • Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 0€ / Day
  • Research infrastructure operated by users: Not possible

* A total of 150 Measurement Days will be allocated to the PAMEC and FMR laboratories

Options for the allocation of intellectual property rights:

• The JRC and the entitled party (person or organisation that has been granted access) become co-owners in equal shares of all raw data, treated data and documentation data developed with respect to the access;
• or, if users run the research infrastructure,
• Raw data, treated data and documentation data will be solely owned by the entitled party. The JRC receives a non-exclusive, royalty free, unlimited and world-wide license to use (meaning in particular to access, exploit, adapt, merge, translate, copy and store) the raw data, processed data and documentation data in all fields of exploitation. Where relevant, the license will include all the data / information necessary to replicate the tests.

Eligibility criteria

• The Lead User Institution and User Institutions ( see definitions in the Framework) must be from an EU Member State, candidate country or country associated to the Euratom Research Programme.
• The Lead User Institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from a Small-Medium-Enterprise (SME).
• Ethical considerations in accordance with EU Law, in particular Art. 19 of Regulation (EU) 1291/2013, and applicable laws and regulations in the EU Member States.
• The proposal submission form is complete and complies with the instructions.

Selection criteria

Any proposal will be scrutinised in accordance with weighted selection criteria such as:

• Scientific implementation
• Collaboration and access to new Users
• Strategic relevance to the JRC
• Strategic importance for Europe

How to apply

The proposal must be prepared by using the template given in Annex 3.1 of the Framework and its annexes

During preparation of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to:

• Read the "Framework of Access to Joint Research Centre physical Research Infrastructures" and its annexes.
• Contact the research infrastructure at JRC-ACTUSLAB-KARLSRUHEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-ACTUSLAB-KARLSRUHE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) to assess feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure.

The proposal should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the closing date of the call.

Communication of the assessment of proposals:2018-10-26 00:00:00

Related Content

Selection Criteria Background Documents

The 6 Priorities of the European Commission

JRC Thematic Focus Areas