ACCESS TO THE “PLATAFORMA SOLAR DE ALMERÍA”
EVALUATION PROCEDURE AND SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE AAC MODALITY
Twice a year, the PSA will open access calls to receive proposals from research groups focused on scientific and technological development (R&D projects) seeking access to the scientific facilities. All information regarding these calls is published at https://www.psa.es/en/gen/acceso/convocatorias.php
Each call will specify an opening and closing date for the submission of applications. All proposals must be submitted within an active open call, and the evaluation results will be communicated on a date subsequent to the call's closure.
PROCEDURE EVALUATION PHASES
In order to select the proposals that will be granted access to utilize the PSA facilities, proposals submitted in due time and proper form will be evaluated according to the following phases:
PHASE 1. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY STUDY
Applications will be forwarded to the Facility Managers (RdI - Responsables de Instalación) who best align with each Access Proposal. They will assess the scientific and technical feasibility of the proposals alongside the operational availability of each facility.
PHASE 2. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL QUALITY EVALUATION
Upon successfully clearing Phase 1, for proposals originating from any competitive open public call at the regional, national, European, or international level—wherein the scientific excellence and technical quality of the proposals have already been evaluated—the Open Access Committee (CAA - Comité de Acceso Abierto) may adopt these prior evaluations and directly grant an ELIGIBLE (APTO) rating to the proposal.
For proposals that have passed Phase 1 but do not originate from a competitive open call, the Open Access Committee (CAA), comprising 5 independent experts, will be responsible for evaluating the scientific and technical quality of the proposals in accordance with the established selection criteria. The CAA reserves the right to request additional information from the Access Coordinator.
There are three evaluation criteria assessed by the CAA, each with a maximum score of 5, where 3 acts as the minimum threshold for each criterion:
- Scientific excellence (originality and innovation) /5
- Overall technical quality of the project /5
- Competence and complementarity of the Research Team /5
This will result in a total score out of 15, whereby only proposals achieving a score greater than 9 will be accepted.
Should access to a specific facility be limited due to any circumstance, the CAA will apply the aforementioned quantitative criteria to all proposals targeting that facility, regardless of whether they are endorsed by a competitive open call. In such instances, a prioritized list, ranked by score, will be published for the access-restricted facility.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The successful applicant must commit to submitting a report to the Facility Manager (RdI) detailing the work conducted and the results obtained upon completion of their stay.
The applicant must commit to publishing a scientific paper regarding the work conducted and the results achieved, provided it does not compromise any of the involved parties, and that access to the facility was either fully funded by a project from any competitive open public call, or partially funded by the PSA. The PSA must be acknowledged in the publication for facilitating access to its facilities.
PHASE 3. COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS AND MANAGEMENT OF APPEALS
Once the CAA has concluded its evaluation, the outcome will be communicated to the Access Coordinator.
Based on the report drafted by the CAA, the Access Coordinator will notify each applicant of the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection, including the grounds for rejection in the latter case. Applicants will have a period of 15 days to submit any appeals they deem appropriate. The Access Coordinator, in conjunction with the relevant Facility Managers (RdIs), will determine whether to reopen the evaluation process should the appeals be deemed pertinent, and will have 15 days to issue a definitive response.
The final resolution detailing the accepted proposals will be published on the PSA access portal.
All generated data and documentation will be archived at the PSA for a minimum period of six (6) years.