User Support

No. CNPEM does not currently offer a regular graduate program recognized by MEC and CAPES. Therefore, it is not possible to take graduate courses directly at the Center.

Part of CNPEM’s mission is to offer its research facilities to the scientific community, with specialized teams to support users in the development of their work. In addition, many CNPEM researchers are affiliated with graduate programs at Brazilian universities and conduct research in collaboration with these programs.

Thus, the possibility of participating in projects or collaborations occurs through direct contact with CNPEM researchers, and admission to a graduate program must always be done through the university with which the researcher is associated.

An external user is a researcher or student affiliated with an institute or an educational or research institution who needs to develop a research proposal using the open-access facilities offered by CNPEM.

Open-access facilities are environments that provide high-technology equipment free of charge to researchers, technicians, and students from around the world, along with laboratory consumables and specialized technical staff. In return for using these facilities, users are required to publish the results of their research in the scientific literature, acknowledging the use of CNPEM’s facilities.

In addition, open-access facilities foster scientific cooperation and contribute to the training of human resources in research and educational institutions. During their visits to carry out research proposals, users are trained and qualified to operate the equipment, enabling them to extract the data necessary for the development of their research.

A research proposal is the gateway to accessing open-access facilities for academic users and research institutions, exclusively for public-domain research conducted by Brazilian or international researchers who do not seek intellectual property protection for their research.

A research proposal aims to outline methods that may guide the researchers involved in their analyses and investigations. Examples include testing a scientific hypothesis; synthesizing or developing materials; using equipment to observe a wide variety of systems, from soft matter to biomolecules; understanding drug mechanisms of action for the development of treatments or vaccines; DNA sequencing; mass spectrometry-based analyses, among others.

CNPEM offers its equipment infrastructure free of charge, with the possibility of applying for financial support. The first step in submitting a research proposal to one of CNPEM’s open-access laboratories is to contact the staff responsible for the open-access facilities to assess the technical feasibility of the experiment. After this initial contact, the user must register in the SAU Online proposal submission system.

Submission is carried out through a form in which the user selects the National Laboratory and the beamline/facility or technique related to the experiment. The form requires information about the proposed experiments, scientific background, expected results, and related details. Some required information may vary among National Laboratories due to the nature of each facility or experiment. The entire process is monitored by an evaluation committee that assesses the merits of the proposal and the information provided.

Users registered in the SAU Online system or subscribed to the CNPEM newsletter will receive email notifications about calls for research proposal submissions. However, some open-access facilities accept proposals through a continuous submission process, in which case there is no specific call opening.

Updated submission calendars for open-access facilities, whether through calls or continuous flow, are available on CNPEM’s websites. In addition, CNPEM’s social media channels are frequently updated with announcements addressed to the entire scientific community to broaden outreach.

Please read the rules for financial support for external users of the open-access facilities.

External users from Brazilian institutions who reside outside the state of São Paulo, as well as foreign users residing in Latin America and the Caribbean, are eligible for financial support. Financial support is exclusively available to external users with research proposals scheduled at CNPEM.

Requests for financial support must be submitted exclusively through the SAU Online system and must be made via the automatic scheduling email sent to the proponent with the subject “Shifts scheduled [Schedule has been updated]”, by accessing the link at the end of the paragraph titled “Badge and Guesthouse and financial support (if applicable)”.

It is important to check the guidelines and procedures for requesting financial support when sample shipment is required, for both national and international destinations.

To ensure a safe and effective experience at CNPEM, all users included in a proposal who will be present on site are required to complete CNPEM’s institutional safety training after the proposal has been scheduled. The training is available in the SAU Online system.

Yes. Some open-access facilities support international and national users through the receipt of samples. This need must be discussed and aligned with the person responsible for each CNPEM facility.

For international shipments, after aligning expectations with the facility staff, users must contact the User’s Office (EdU) for guidance. Sample shipment for certain facilities may be covered by CNPEM’s financial support program. For more information, please refer to the rules for granting financial support.

After completing the research project, users are strongly encouraged to fill out the Infrastructure and Services Evaluation Form, available in the SAU Online system. Completing this form is extremely important for gathering opinions, reports, and perceptions from users who conducted experiments at CNPEM’s open-access facilities, enabling continuous improvement.

At the end of the experiment, it is recommended that the proponent and the principal investigator complete the Experimental Report, which can be found in the SAU Online system.

IMPORTANT: Users must explicitly acknowledge the CNPEM infrastructure used in any article, thesis, or other published material that includes data obtained during their project. Users must also cooperate in providing this information when requested.

Before submitting a proposal, users are advised to consult the website for information on available beamlines/facilities, services, and technologies, as well as specific recommendations for sample preparation, protocols, and other detailed specifications related to the research proposal submission process.

If further clarification is needed, users are encouraged to contact the person responsible for the beamline/facility or the User’s Office (EdU).

Once the user confirms their visit to CNPEM in the SAU Online system, they will automatically receive an email with detailed information on accessing CNPEM’s Wi-Fi network. The CNPEM Wi-Fi username begins with the credentials “up”, and the email will be sent 10 days before the start of the scheduled experiments. Please be sure to check your inbox during this period to obtain all necessary information.

To contact the User’s Office (EdU), which is responsible for supporting users, please use one of the following communication channels:

• Email: edu@cnpem.br
• Phone: +55 (19) 3512-1321
• WhatsApp: +55 (19) 99827-9687

The first step in submitting a proposal to conduct research in one of the open labs at the CNPEM is to register in the SAU Online system. The proposal is submitted through a form where the user can choose the National Laboratory and Light Line or technical facility where they wish to conduct their research. On the form, users should provide information about the experiments they wish to conduct, scientific foundation, expected results, etc. Some information required for submission may vary among the different national laboratories because of the nature of each facility or experiment. The entire process is overseen by a committee that will evaluate the merits of the proposal and the other information in each form.

To consult the status of your proposal, click the “View all proposals” link on the main page of your SAU Online profile. All your proposals will be listed there.

After access tags have been requested, and one week before the date of the research proposal, if any members need to be added or removed from the team please request these changes directly from the SAU via email at sau@cnpem.br. Make sure to state:

• Proposal number;
• Full name;
• Email address.

New members must be previously registered with SAU Online to make changes.

In the automatic scheduling email sent to the researcher who proposed the project (entitled “Shifts scheduled [Schedule has been updated]”), click the “Badge and Guesthouse and financial support (if applicable)” link at the end of the paragraph or directly access SAU Online and click “Select” under “Your next scheduled experiments.” Note that each team member must access this link and make their own requests, and cannot be added by another team member.

Beneficiaries of LNNano and LNLS who live outside the state of São Paulo, those from Latin America and the Caribbean, and those with a master’s or doctoral degree. The request for financial support is made exclusively via SAU Online. It must be done through the automatic scheduling e-mail sent to the proponent with the title “Shifts scheduled [Schedule has been updated]”, accessing the link at the end of the paragraph “Badge and Guesthouse and financial support (if applicable)”.

To make a reservation via SAU Online: use the menu to click “Select” in the section “Your next scheduled experiments,” then choose “Add guesthouse request” and state the days you would like to reserve.

Accommodation expenses must be settled at check-in or check-out via Pix, or at the User Support Services (SAU) office using a debit or credit card.

The SAU is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If users arrive before or after this time, the room key will be available at the CNPEM gatehouse.

No. All the rooms in the guesthouse are doubles in order to accommodate as many users as possible who need lodging to conduct their research.

No, the guesthouse provides bedding (sheets and blankets) and towels, as well as a cleaning service. Learn more about the CNPEM guesthouse.