General Guidelines and Policies for the LPC Guests and Visitors (G&V) Program

Goal of the program

The main aim of the Guests and Visitors (G&V) program is to facilitate CMS collaborators to spend time at the LPC and collaborate with other LPC residents/applicants on projects that advance, enrich, and impact the interests of the CMS experiment. Given that the G&V is funded by the Operations program, proposals must include an operations and/or upgrade component for CMS. A Physics component is encouraged but not required.

Eligibility

The G&V program is open to all CMS members both from U.S. and non-U.S. institutions. This includes students, postdocs, scientists and faculty.

Applicants must be employed by a CMS institution during their stay at the LPC.

Duration of stay

The earliest start time for the Spring cycle (application deadline in early March) is May, and for the Fall cycle (application deadline in August) is October.

The G&V program is flexible in that it allows applications for stay periods anywhere from several weeks up to several months, but needs to be completed within one year from the application. During this period, successful applicants are required to be based at Fermilab, at the LPC, where a suitable working space will be provided.

International visitors who need a visa should consider applying with a start date which allows for getting the paperwork completed prior to arrival e. g. invitation from Fermilab and visa process.

Expenses covered

The G&V program can support explicit requests for local expenses while at the LPC (lodging and per-diem) but it does not cover other travel expenses (e.g. air-fare, visas or relocation costs). Modest buyout requests for faculty from US CMS institutions can also be considered, especially when in-kind support is provided by the applicant's home institution. In any circumstance, institutional overhead will not be paid. Support for local transportation will be considered on an individual basis. Please note that in accordance with Fermilab requirements, the maximum allowed per diem is lower for any time period in excess of 60 days.

Structure of the application

The application must include the following information:

  • A short paragraph stating the objective of the visit. An operations and/or upgrade component is required, while a physics component is encouraged but not required.
  • Duration of overall visit(s) and number of days at Fermilab.
  • Personnel involved in the project other than the applicant, their role in the project and their location during the period of the applicant's stay at the LPC.
  • A one-page description of the project that includes the work expected to be accomplished by the applicant, including a list of deliverables at the end of the stay.
  • Budget request listing the items and amounts for which support is requested. The cost-effectiveness of the visit is part of the review process and we encourage cost sharing by the home institutions.

  • Faculty or senior applicants:
    • The project description should include a statement of the way their visits will benefit the LPC users at-large and their role in scientific activities of the LPC, namely involvement with activities which go beyond the applicant's own group at the LPC.
    • A CV is required and will be submitted in the application.
  • Postdoctoral applicants:
    • At least one supporting letter for the application by other parties that have a stake in the application is required. These can be from collaborators on the same project, supervisors, CMS managers, convenors, other LPC residents, etc.
    • A CV is required and will be submitted in the application.
  • Student applicants:
    • Students' applications must be submitted by their advisor.
    • At least one supporting letter for the application by other parties that have a stake in the application is required. These can be from collaborators on the same project, supervisors, CMS managers, convenors, other LPC residents, etc.
    • A CV is required and will be submitted in the application.

The application should be submitted online using the form linked from the main Guests & Visitors page.

Recommendation support letters (PDF) and evaluation form (Excel) should be submitted following instructions on the main Guests & Visitors page.

Report

A one-page report summarizing the work done by the applicant should be submitted at the end of the stay. A presentation of this work at the LPC may be requested.

Re-application

Previous participants of the LPC G&V program can submit applications for a new term.

Participants awarded during the last two years will be asked to describe the outcomes from their recent participation in the LPC G&V program in their application (max. 200 words).

In addition, a letter is required from one of the contacts from their previous visit about the work done by the applicant during their previous visit. The same person may write a support for the current application in the same letter when appropriate.

Questions

In case of questions please contact the LPC coordinators.