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User Portal

Sample Transport at the ESRF

Material handling guidelines in view of your experiment

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ESRF Authorisation and Safety Compliance

Before bringing or sending any materials (samples or equipment) to the ESRF, users must obtain prior authorization from ESRF Safety:

  • Samples: Must be approved through the experiment A-form.
  • Ancillary Equipment: Must be declared via email to the ESRF Safety Officer along with conformity certificates.

More information can be found on the Safety webpages "Preparing for your Experiment"

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Reception and Handling liability

The ESRF takes the necessary precautions to ensure the appropriate reception and use of samples and auxiliary equipment sent ahead of an experiment. However, it is important to note that:

  • ESRF is not liable for the loss or damage of samples or equipment at any stage, including transport, storage, handling, and usage.
  • This applies even when ESRF covers the parcel transport costs.
  • The user agrees not to claim damages from ESRF, except in cases of wilful misconduct or gross negligence by ESRF.

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Import & Export Responsibilities

 Users and their institutions are fully responsible for ensuring compliance with all import/export regulations related to their experiment, including: customs laws, tax regulations, foreign trade laws, regulations concerning the transport of dangerous goods, re-importation and re-exportation of materials
Users must ensure that all necessary permits and documentation are in place for materials entering or leaving France and any other relevant countries.

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Transport Reimbursement

Some sample shipments may be eligible for transport reimbursement by ESRF (See this section for more details on eligibility).
Options include:

 

For specific inquiries regarding the transport and customs issues of your material, please contact the ESRF Stores-Logistics. For any other information please contact the ESRF User Office.

 

Transport Glossary

Data Portal (formerly ICAT, ISPYB): The ESRF data portal is used for managing shipments, tracking parcels, accessing relevant transport documentation and any data (raw and metadata) linked with your experiment.

Forwarder: a courier transporter that is responsible for handling the parcel from the user's institute to ESRF and back to the user. (e.g. FedEx is a forwarder)

Labels:

  • ESRF Label: an internal tracking label that is used within ESRF to monitor parcel movements. It also provides users with notifications each time the parcel changes location. This label is issued via the Data Portal.
  • Shipping Label: a label that is used by the forwarder to transport the parcel to or from the ESRF. It includes a tracking number from the forwarder, sender and recipient addresses, description of the type of transport and courier account number. It is usually completed by a proforma invoice.

Proforma:

  • Proforma invoice: a document describing the parcel content and that is required in cases of EU border crossing. It is generated directly via the forwarder’s website and submitted with the shipping label.
  • ESRF Proforma Invoice: a document describing the parcel content and that is required in cases of EU border crossing or use of ESRF budget code (if no other travel document is provided). This document is used internally and assists ESRF in creating transport records.

Radioactive sample as exempted package: These are samples whose radioactivity is below the exemption limit defined by ADR and IATA DGR. They are therefore not subject to the full requirements of the dangerous goods regulations. When preparing the shipment of these samples, the option "Yes, this parcel contains dangerous goods" must be selected during the creation of the ESRF tracking label in the Data Portal.

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European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - 71, avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.