Los Alamos Neutron Science Center is the major experimental science facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, underpinning the Laboratory as a world-class scientific institution.
The Department of Energy (DOE) requires that all non-government users of DOE User Facilities have a signed User Facility Agreement between the institution of the researcher using the facility and the DOE laboratory operating the facility.
Individuals who are not Los Alamos National Laboratory employees are not permitted to do experimental work at any LANSCE User Facilities until a User Agreement with that individual's home institution is established. Please fill out the requested information so the LANSCE User Agreement Specialist can furnish the appropriate User Agreement(s) to your institution for signature.
The following are the User Facility Agreements:
If your institution is not on this list of active User Agreements, please contact the LANSCE User Program Coordinator to start the process of putting a user agreement in place.
Nonproprietary agreements are to be used when the results of the activity are intended to be published and made available to the general public. Proprietary agreements are to be used when the information received from the research will not be available to the general public. Umbrella agreements can have a time duration of up to 5 years. These agreements cover liability, intellectual property, and financial issues (access templates from the links above). DOE has worked out agreements and any changes to these agreements will involve negotiation between DOE and the Institution, which may delay the process.
Non-Proprietary User Agreements with foreign institutions need to signed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Director. Users need to take extra time for this process into account.
The User Facility Agreement (UFA) is a contractual agreement between the Laboratory and external parties designed to permit outside users, including scientists and engineers from industry, universities and other governmental agencies, to conduct research using the Laboratory's unique experimental research equipment and facilities.
Only one user agreement is required between a visiting organization and the Laboratory. Several efforts by several people from the same institution can be covered with one agreement.
The visiting partner directs the activity that occurs in the Laboratory facility within the framework of the agreement, with Laboratory staff oversight. Typical requests for user-facility access are for fabrication, calibration, testing and evaluation of products and processes. Laboratory staff should keep in mind the following points when entering into a UFA:
Regular communication with the partner is essential for successful agreements.
Work will not begin until the partner's funding is received and a program code has been set up. The statement of work may contain company proprietary (OUO) information, which must not be disclosed.
