All ELBE sources including FELBE and TELBE are open to users through an online portal (GATE). There are two calls for Beamtime Proposals per year with deadlines in the spring and in the fall.

The next deadline for the submission of beamtime applications is September 22nd, 2025.

User access to the ELBE - Center for High-power Radiation Sources is managed in line with the recommendations of the European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures. Beamtime proposals are reviewed by an external science advisory committee. It is quality-based and relies on a peer-review procedure based on research proposals. The primary selection criterion is scientific excellence. Among scientifically equally ranked proposals, priority is given to users from countries without national FEL and from EU-13 states, to PhD students, and to women PIs.

Proposals should be submitted electronically using the portal GATE. The use of the template is mandatory.

ELBE as a whole is operated 24 h, 7 days/week, beamtime is granted in units of 12 hours from 6:00 to 18:00 and from 18:00 to 6:00.

Rapid Acces proposals are a way to obtain free beamtime on decision of the Experimental Division Direction.

Thay are submitted continiously but are limited to a really small number of proposals, only for urgent work.