Transnational access to NMR is devoted to outreach to new users, both those in Eastern-Europe, and those who will benefit from state-of-the-art technology in solid-state NMR.

Applications for gaining access to EAST-NMR Research Infrastructures (RIs) can be submitted continuously through an online proposal management system by filling in the ONLINE ACCESS FORM.

Travel to and accommodation at the RIs will be reimbursed.

A set of eight NMR Research Infrastructures (RIs) will be offering transnational access to European research groups under the EAST-NMR Integrated Activity. All expenses will be covered by the East-NMR Project.

The RIs in EAST-NMR will provide the following opportunities to visiting scientists:

• Use of advanced methods in NMR spectroscopy for determining the 3D structure of biomolecules and complexes of these molecules in solid and solution states
• Special solid-state NMR hardware to carry out experiments involving the entire range of NMR active nuclei
• High-spinning speed probe equipment for MAS NMR
• Implementation and testing of methods for generating the structure of biomolecules on the basis of experimental and semi-empirical data
• Access to software for data processing, structure determination, and other specific purposes (analysis of kinetics of protein ligand interactions, relaxation analysis, relaxation dispersion analysis, specialised tools for metabolomics, processing tools for fast recording techniques)
• Support by customising software for particular needs of users
• The use of extensive support facilities for sample generation, characterisation and purification as well as for computer modelling
• Support by qualified, dedicated staff throughout all stages of the project and related experiments
• Guidance and support, if required, in the preparation of the research proposal and its experimental details for obtaining access to the RI
• Guidance and support, if required, in transforming the experimental results into a paper
• On request, active participation of the staff of the RI in the research project
• Advanced training opportunities for all aspects of structural biology in the various graduate research training programs

Upon positive evaluation by the independent evaluation panel, the customer will be informed about the modalities.

Direct correspondence with local Facility Managers will guide the customer to practical arrangements, such as the time slots available, travel logistics and accommodation as well as sending of samples.

EAST-NMR RIs accept users within the Transnational Access Activity of the EU FP7.

The EC poses certain restrictions upon the eligibility of users, based on nationalities of group members and location of their home institutions. The main criteria for eligibility are outlined below. Additional information can be obtained directly from the EC web site or from the Directors of the EAST-NMR Research Infrastructures providing access.

Who is eligible?

Only research teams conducting their research in the EU Member States or Associated Countries to FP7 are eligible to benefit from access to the infrastructure under the contract. The term "research team" means a group of one or more researchers not necessarily all coming from the same country. To be eligible, a user group must satisfy the following conditions:

• Both the user group leader and the majority of the users must work in an institution established in an EU Member State or Associated State
• Both the user group leader and the majority of the users must come from a country other than the country where the legal entity operating the infrastructure is established
• Only research teams that are willing to publish the results of their work at the facility in the open press may apply for access to a participating infrastructure

Eligible countries outside the EU

• Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia Herzegovina

To enable the Commission to evaluate the Research Infrastructures Action, to monitor the individual contracts, and to improve the services provided to the scientific community, each Group Leader of a user-project supported under an EC Research Infrastructure contract is requested to complete the "User Group Questionnaire". The questionnaire must be submitted once by each user group as soon as the experiments on the infrastructure come to end.

When completing the questionnaire please indicate the EAST-NMR contract number (228461) and the acronym of the user project.

1) Project Summary Report

After having completed their stay at the host institution users are requested to fill out the Project Summary Report and submit it to the host Research Infrastructure.

2) East-NMR User Group Questionnaire

In addition, users will be asked to complete the East-NMR User Group Questionnaire. The questionnaire's purpose is to get users' feed-back in order to evaluate East-NMR access programme, to give useful advice to the individual host infrastructure, and to generally improve the services offered to users.

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PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM ACCESS

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Users are expected to publish their results within a reasonable time in the open literature. Suitable publicity shall be made for the access provided to users under the contract by the EC, specifying that the project leading to the publication has received research funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (EU FP7), e.g. "Financial support by the Access to Research Infrastructures activity in the 7th Framework Programme of the EC (Contract 228461, EAST-NMR) for conducting the research is gratefully acknowledged".

A special effort will be made to attract new users with a need for biomolecular NMR structure determination, but who are not familiar with structural biology by means of NMR spectroscopy.