In 2011 a Call for Expressions of Interest in contributing to the European XFEL in the form of User Consortia was published. This call was published with an initial deadline, in order to start a first evaluation, but is open, allowing new proposals to be submitted at any time.
A first round of proposals has been evaluated internally and with the help of the European XFEL advisory committees. Following discussion and positive decision by the European XFEL Council, six User Consortia are now in their implementation phase. New proposals will undergo the same evaluation and approval procedure.
User Consortia under implementation
The approved User Consortia proposals contribute significant additions to the European XFEL instrumentation, addressing in particular the instrumentation scope of the scientific instruments, soft- and hardware for the scientific computing, biochemical laboratories, and additions to the FEL undulators. Most contributions include the provision of hardware, personnel and contributions to the general technical infrastructure. Some proposals include the provision of funding for personnel and consumables during the operation phase of the facility.