JWST Synergies Proposal Category

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was successfully launched on December 25, 2021, and is fully operational as of July 2022.  JWST offers extensive photometric and spectroscopic capabilities spanning the wavelength range 0.7 to 28 microns.  Investigators of any nationality or affiliation may submit and be included on JWST proposals.

Observations with the Gemini telescopes have laid the groundwork for many early JWST programs.  Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab is introducing the JWST Synergies Proposal Category to foster development of science programs that require a combination of Gemini and JWST observations.  

The "JWST Synergy" category should be selected if the proposal is supporting any past or future JWST project, it is not necessary for JWST observations to have already been approved to submit a proposal in this category.  It should be also noted that this is not a "joint" Gemini and NASA Space Observatories Time proposal per se (i.e., JWST time is not awarded through this proposal category).

Starting in semester 23B, joint proposals between JWST and NOIRLab telescopes, including the US share of Gemini, will be supported. This support is at a similar level to the current support of HST, Chandra and Fermi, i.e. up to 5% of the US time. See Section 3.11 of the NOIRLab Call for Proposals. Proposers who have received this joint time should select the "JWST Synergy" option and state in the text that the proposal is part of a JWST+NOIRLab joint proposal. If your proposal is not part of an approved JWST-NOIRLab joint project, then the time requested by it will come from the general time for each participant included, not from the special 5% of US time for JWST joint proposals.

For a proposal to be considered as part of this category, proposers must

• set the “JWST Synergy” option to Yes in the Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT) or the CSDC/NOIRLab Time Allocation System (TAS) proposal editor 
• describe the science goals of the full Gemini+JWST program in the Science Justification section
• describe the combined Gemini+JWST observational program in the Experimental Design section, and how these observations contribute toward the accomplishment of the goals outlined in the Science Justification.
• if your proposal is part of an approved joint JWST+NOIRLab program, then state this clearly in the abstract and Experimental Design and Use of Other Facilities sections and give the JWST proposal or program identification.

The TAC will consider the connection between the proposed  Gemini and JWST observations as part of the review process. The proposal would be assessed based on the science expectations for the full program, including both the JWST observations (whether approved or envisioned) and Gemini observations. If the proposal is not part of an approved joint JWST+NOIRLab project, then no quotas on the fraction of overall time allocated to proposals in this category will be imposed.