Semesterly based applications for time on Gemini are made through National Time Allocation Committees (NTACs) which are individually responsible for scientific and technical assessment and for making recommendations to the Gemini Observatory that time be awarded. Proposals will be solicited by Gemini every 6 months in early March and September; details of the submission and review process vary from Participant to Participant.
Submitting a proposal
Proposals must be submitted using the Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT). Make sure to fill all the required information and to submit your proposal before the deadline. Deadlines vary depending on the Partner Country. Links to Participant- and host-specific information are contained in the following table.
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US Phase I info | US Policies |  |
Canadian Phase I info | Canadian Policies |
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Argentinean Phase I info |
Argentinean Policies |  |
Brazilian Phase I info |
Brazilian Policies |
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Chilean Phase I info |
Chilean Policies |  |
Korea Phase I info |
Korean Policies |
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University of Hawaii Phase I info | Proposals for University of Hawaii (UH) observing time on Gemini North must have a Principal Investigator affiliated with UH. | |||
International collaborations ("joint proposals"), where time is being sought from several participating countries, follow the same submission process, even if the proposal involves Participants that offer other submission mechanisms. There is only one submission necessary (by the PI or by one of the Co-Is), as each participating country represented on the proposal will automatically receive their copy. Multi-participant joint proposals should be submitted by the deadline of the participant country to which the Principal Investigator is affiliated. See the joint proposal instructions for more details.
Proposals from outside of the Gemini community must be submitted through one of the NTACs.
The Phase I proposal submission process is supported by staff in the National Gemini Offices (NGOs). The Gemini Help Desk should be used to contact NGO staff regarding proposal submission.
Persistent Band 1
Since Semester 18A, all programs in Band 1 (see exclusions below) are allowed to execute over the full subsequent semester and encouraged to execute late in the semester before their formal allocation begins. These programs, designated "persistent Band 1", are treated equally with other Band 1s, whichever semester they are executing in. Time remaining in these programs is not removed per participant at ITAC as was the case with the previous formal Rollover system.
- Exclusions: Classical, Fast-Turnaround, Large and Long, Director’s Discretionary, ToO, Limited-term partner programs do not persist across semester boundaries.
- Best efforts: Programs using block scheduled instruments (e.g. Visitors, GPI, GSAOI) are extended on a strictly best-effort basis.
- Rollover programs previous to 18A: will be honored through their normal Rollover period.
What to expect
Scientific and technical feedback to the investigators about their proposal is generated by each NGO/NTAC. Notification of the award of time is generated by Gemini Observatory and sent to each investigator. NGOs then iterate with successful PI's to specify the Phase II observations. The formal handover of responsibility for supporting the investigators, from the NGO to Gemini Observatory, takes place upon transmission to Gemini of the final detailed Phase II program.
For a complete explanation of how your proposal is evaluated and ranked, consult the Time Allocation Committees (TAC) processes page.