Bi-annual UK and International Access Routes
The information in the following sections is for regular access reviewed by the Lasers for Science Facility (LSF) access panel. Please see 'Alternative Access Routes' at the bottom for other routes such as EuroBioimaging, RIANA or industry access.
Call open: Tuesday 4 November 2025
Call close: Tuesday 20 January 2026 17:00 UK time
Access period: 1st July to 18th December 2026
Applications are for access to the Octopus or Ultra facilities of the Central Laser Facility (CLF). If you are successful, access will be fully funded (facility overheads, UK travel, accommodation and food).
A rough outline of the call schedule is in the table below, subject to change:
Call opening
| Call closing
| Results
| Access period
|
May
| July
| October/November
| Jan-June
|
November
| January
| April/May
| July-Dec
|
Types of Access
For this call, proposals are invited for the following modes of access:
- Direct Access (1-4 weeks one-off access within a 6-month period)
- Continuation of Approved Programmes (update on progress for the next 6 months)
- Lasers4EU Direct Access (1-4 weeks one-off access within a 6-month period, with additional submission to Lasers4EU)
Alternative access routes (including for International applicants) can be found at the bottom of this page.
Eligibility
Main applicant eligibility:
- UK academic (including postdoctoral researchers) for Direct or Programme Access modes
- Non-UK academic for Lasers4EU Direct Access
- Must hold a position that lasts for the duration of the scheduling period
- PhD students can be Co-Investigator, but not the main applicant
- Applications involving industry collaborators must be led by a non-STFC academic
Guidelines
Please carefully read all the information in the call guidelines 
LSF_Submission_guidelines.pdf and use the formatted template documents: 
LSF_Direct_access_template.docx, LSF_Programme_approved_template.docx which follow the formatting guidelines.
It is recommended to contact an appropriate facility staff member ahead of time to help strengthen your application (e.g. obtaining proof of concept data or technical feasibility), see the web pages for Octopus staff and techniques, and Ultra staff and techniques to find an appropriate contact for your proposal.
Submission
Please submit all applications to https://proposal.facilities.rl.ac.uk. If it is the first time you've used the online submission system, you may find it useful to read the documentation
here.
For Lasers4EU Direct Access submissions:
- Apply through the Direct Access and Ongoing Programmes route on the call website.
- Answer yes when asked “Are you a non-UK academic applying as part of Lasers4EU access?" at Step #2 (Facility & Funding).
- Complete your CLF application and download a .pdf copy.
- The PI should use the Lasers4EU online proposal system at https://apply.laserlab-europe.eu/ to submit it.
For any queries about using the proposal system that are not answered by the documentation above, contact fase-support@stfc.ac.uk.
NOTE: Submission includes completion of multiple pages of questions relating to your access, as well as the attachment of a scientific case. It is recommended to start early, as progress can be saved for completion at a later time before the deadline.
Facility Access Panel
A list of the current Octopus and Ultra Facility Access Panel members can be
found here.
Alternative Access Routes
If you are not eligible, or need access before the next round. Please contact us to discuss alternative routes.
For UK and EU academics, here are some schemes that may be active and can provide access to the Octopus or Ultra facilities:
For industry, or academics collaborating with industry, there may be multiple other routes open to you. Here are schemes that may have updated calls:
