The principle of partnership is a major component of SOLEIL's scientific activity which can be adapted to various situations. It concerns researchers, teacher-researchers and individual engineers attached to an outside team. The objective of a partnership is:
- to facilitate collaborations between SOLEIL researchers and outside laboratories and promote mobility both ways
- to create or strengthen a partnership between Synchrotron SOLEIL and a laboratory with part of its activity requiring the use of synchrotron radiation.
The partner laboratory makes available its competence and specific tools to a wide community of SOLEIL users; in exchange, it enjoys special access to SOLEIL installations. One of the main sources of support for this partnership is the personnel attached to the laboratory and personally associated with Synchrotron SOLEIL. This personnel shares its activity between both establishments, salaries being paid in full by the financial organization of the attached laboratory.
The framework of the partnership is formalized by an individual contract specifying the general modalities specific to each partnership. This contract is co-signed by the partner, SOLEIL's director general, the director of the partner laboratory, and, if need be, other persons in charge of the attached organization (Director General, University Chairman, Scientific department director, etc.).
This contract, in its specific aspects, is established with the approval of the person in charge of the line; it describes the partnership's objectives, defines each one's contribution, specifies the average share of the partner's activity in both partner laboratories as well as its level of participation to the reception of beamline users, fixes the beam time allotted to the partner researcher, the operating financial modalities, intellectual property of the results and possible confidentiality clauses.
Concerning their share of activity at SOLEIL, the general rights and duties of partners are, in many respects, identical to those of SOLEIL researchers. They are attached to one of the scientific sections of the Experimentations division (inasmuch as these sections have been created). As a general rule, they are part of the executive team attached to a beamline at the various stages of its development (APD, construction and later, operation) and participate in the line committee meetings. The partner researchers do not replace the three SOLEIL executives assigned to the line, but rather strengthen the potential in their particular field.
They contribute to the activity on this line through the development of at least one of its fields of research and the reception of users.
Their contribution may take various specific forms defined for each case:
Their contribution may take various specific forms defined on a case-by-case basis:
- Taking in charge an instrument, or the environments of specific samples, developed through the laboratory's skills and means, and intended for use on SOLEIL on a shared-time basis. The contract specifies whether this instrument involves financial participation on the part of SOLEIL, as well as the conditions for using the device: time allotted for the partner's own research or for outside users with their reception ensured by the partner.
- Activity related to a scientific theme which does not require specific equipment developed outside SOLEIL, but rather the particular ability to attract a community to use synchrotron radiation, and for which outside laboratories implement complementary techniques necessary for the overall quality of research.
- Development with SOLEIL of a common subject allowing the use of complementary approaches to synchrotron radiation and, if need be, the joint supervision of doctoral theses.
- Development of theoretical tools, etc.
In the event that the task he is assigned to at SOLEIL includes the construction of line equipment co-financed by SOLEIL, the partner will manage this task under the supervision of the person in charge of the line or program, including management of the sum of money allotted to this operation in the line budget. 20% of the line's beam time is allotted to maintenance and enhancement, as well as experimentation and the line personnel's own research. If the line is used by numerous partners, this share may be increased, but not exceeding 25%. The partner is granted a share of this beam time in proportion to his participation in SOLEIL. Of course, besides the beam time allotted by the program committees, he may be given additional time on the basis of experimentation proposals.
The partner's own research depends on the budget allocated by his original laboratory. He may, however, be granted support by SOLEIL, in proportion to the activity of the line he is assigned to, for a personal project carried out at SOLEIL.
Initiatives linked to the partner's scientific activity that are not covered by the line budget - but are deemed useful to SOLEIL radiation or objectives by the scientific direction - could potentially receive support (workshops, meetings, promotion of the discipline within the community, broadening of the user community). In addition, indirect (but substantial) support for this researcher, and hence for his laboratory, is given through expenses related to the general operation of SOLEIL, that is through means available to him (network, office automation, documentation, cafeteria etc.), through the construction of equipment of which he and his laboratory will most likely be among the main users, and the allocation of beam time outside that allotted by program committees.
The supervision of doctoral and post-doctoral researchers is an important aspect of the permanent and partner researchers' activity, and obtaining the accreditation for supervising research (HDR) is highly encouraged by SOLEIL, if not already established. The partner may supervise doctoral or post-doctoral researchers financed through outside support which will cover the research of such operations. When SOLEIL ensures financing, supervision is carried out by a SOLEIL researcher with possible co-supervision by a partner.
The partners commit themselves to comply with in-house SOLEIL regulations.
The author of any publication, report, paper or lecture on a partner's work carried out at SOLEIL - or using its available means - must mention the address of both partner laboratories.
SOLEIL covers the expenses (travel and accommodation) for hosting partners from outside Paris.
The global assessment of a partner's activity and the progress of his career are determined in the framework of the laboratory he is attached to, and according to the in-house rules of the organization he depends on. The partner will draft a report on his activity at SOLEIL every two years (in step with the laboratory's assessment), indicating among other things his progress in the achievement of the objectives for which the partnership contract with SOLEIL has been entered into and the research activities not described in his laboratory's activity report. The global report on the researcher's activity (intended for the assessment authority) will therefore be in two parts, each relative to the share of activity time in each laboratory.
Every two years, in step with his own laboratory's assessment, the SOLEIL partner's activity will also be assessed by the concerned scientific director following consultation with the person in charge of the line and the head of the scientific section, and forwarded to SOLEIL's director general. This report will be sent by the director general to the director of the laboratory to which the partner is attached and, for his information, to the assessment authority Chairman. |
|
