Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet URBAN-GOLD (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Human urine has the potential to be a promising alternative to chemical fertilizers due to its nutrient richness, easy availability, and environmental friendliness. Significant challenges limit the widespread adoption of urine-based fertilizers, such as not being able to recover all the nutrients, the risk of pharmaceutical contamination, and low nutrient efficiency. URBAN-GOLD project will tackle these obstacles by establishing an innovative system that combines urine recycling and in situ nano-fertilizer production, bridging the gap between urine recycling and nano-agrochemistry. The project will leverage my urine recycling technology to transform human urine into a safe and viable raw fertilizer and host’s advanced nano-fertilizer synthesis technology to develop it into controlled-release nano-fertilizer (Urine-NF), effectively turning the waste into a valuable resource. Secondments to Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and NovaMechanics Ltd (NovaM) will equip me with essential skills in nitrogen isotope tracing and machine learning for nutrient efficiency evaluation (QMUL) and quality control of Urine-NF (NovaM). This project not only enhances the safety and efficiency of urine-based fertilizers through first-ever integration of urine recovery technology with nano-agrochemistry but also equips me to become an independent scientist specializing in nutrient recycling for sustainable agriculture. The project aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 and 6) and the European Green Deal, fostering nutrient cycling while contributing to global food security and environmental sustainability.

Mots clés : nanotechnology, nutrient recovery from waste, agriculture, food security, urine

Participants :
- NovaMechanics (Cyprus) (Chypre) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Queen Mary University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet SMART (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) have recently been detected in human brain tissues, raising significant concerns about their potential role in brain health. However, there remains a critical gap in understanding how MNPs enter the brain, whether they can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and the mechanisms involved in their interaction with brain tissues. Current studies have been limited by the absence of suitable BBB models and advanced analytical techniques.This project aims to address this gap by developing a novel BBB-on-a-chip model, combining advanced MNP analytical, labeling, quantification and mapping techniques, to systematically investigate these interactions. It will explore whether MNPs can penetrate the BBB, elucidate the mechanisms of translocation, and assess the biological impacts of MNPs on brain health, with a focus on long-term risks related to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Secondments at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) will focus on advanced MNP labeling and quantification techniques, while secondments at SynVivo (SYN) will involve developing the BBB-on-a-chip model, introducing cutting-edge 3D modeling capabilities. These secondments will provide critical expertise and resources, ultimately expanding the scope and impact of the research. The fellow will gain valuable skills in chip model development, material labeling, and toxicological risk assessment, which will enhance his future career prospects in interdisciplinary environmental health research.

Mots clés : microplastic, nanoplastics, toxicity, biocorona

Participants :
- Synvivo inc. (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Queen Mary University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet LOBCON-EU (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

How does corporate lobbying affect democratic representation and economic activity in Europe? Lobbyists play a key role in the democratic process, but tight links between business and politics often raise the question of conflicts of interest and disproportionate corporate influence. Yet, we know little about how corporations influence politics in Europe. Current work focuses on the U.S., due to the availability of high-quality data. In contrast, there is a lack of quantitative research on corporate influence in Europe. The LOBCON-EU project investigates the impact of lobbying and corporate political connections in Europe. First, the project develops an integrated theoretical framework on corporate political activity applicable to different European contexts. Second, the project uses novel data from the new German lobbying register linked data on the professional background of lobbyists, to answer the question who becomes a lobbyist? Third, the project uses data on lobbying meetings between of the European Commission to answer how do policymaker characteristics affect lobbying? Finally, the project uses linked Danish individual and business register data to study why do individuals transition between the private sector and politics? LOBCON-EU uses big data and state-of-the-art quantitative methods to establish the causal effect of lobbying on politics and firm performance.  The LOBCON-EU project will generate evidence on corporate political activity in Europe and make new data available to researchers and the public. Moreover, the project informs policymakers about potential economic inequalities and welfare losses resulting from lobbying activities. The results will further contribute to ongoing debates among public officials and civil society groups on the creation and reform of lobbying disclosure mechanisms. Finally, by making lobbying and corporate lobbying more transparent, the project also contributes to public trust in the democratic process.

Mots clés : political economy, lobbying, corporate political influence, big data, europe

Participants :
- École de commerce de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230774.4 €
Projet AvatarBAR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Recent technological advancements have increased companies’ use of virtual human-like characters with anthropomorphic appearances, called “avatars” for customer care. Responding to the increased use of such humanlike customer care avatars (CCA), this project aims to investigate how and under which circumstances CCAs’ level of behavioural realism affects consumers’ emotions, cognition, and performance outcomes during consumer-CCA communication, with a particular focus on communication failure incidents, utilizing qualitative and quantitative investigations. Particularly, a systematic literature review and in-depth interviews for qualitative investigation, and a series of experimental studies for the quantitative investigation will be employed. The project takes an interdisciplinary perspective by combining knowledge from marketing, technology, communication, and psychology. As such, this research is expected to contribute novel knowledge to the customer-technology interface literature, which is an area that the Marketing Science Institute has identified as one of the top research priorities for 2022. As experts estimate that the use of avatars will increase by 241% in the hospitality and by 187% in the consumer goods industry, understanding customer-avatar interfaces is of utmost importance within this research area. Moreover, this project is proposed in response to the European Union’s declaration of funding research and innovation that supports Europe’s digital transformation with a new generation of technologies as one of the top priorities for 2019-2024.

Mots clés : digital marketing, digital communications, avatars, customer care communication, human computer interaction, social studies of science and technology, cognition, and emotions

Participants :
- École de commerce de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214934.4 €
Projet TwinsTrack (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

We are in a warming climate. Predictions indicate that the world is on track for a warming of 1.5 ℃ in the most optimistic situation. This is very bad news for railway slab tracks utilized all around the world, since the intensified extreme heat waves in a warming climate can induce severe slab track failure and cause lethal outcomes like train derailments. Furthermore, the rise in life-cycle carbon emissions due to increased track maintenance workload and material consumption worldwide in a warming climate is estimated to be around 60 million tonnes, which can be used to manufacture about 120 million cars.  However, we are not fully prepared to this challenge because of a lack of useful tools to predict track performance and arrange maintenance activities in a warming climate. Thus, this TwinsTrack project aims to contribute to a better understanding of slab tracks' mechanical behavior in a warming climate and practical maintenance strategies to improve their climate adaptability.  In this project, the applicant will (i) develop integrated digital twin models of slab tracks for performance prediction in a warming climate; (ii) design various climate-adaptive maintenance measures for slab tracks; (iii) develop a multi-objective optimization approach to select optimal types and design details of maintenance measures to not only maximize the safety of slab tracks, but also ensure their best environmental and economic performance.  The outcomes of this TwinsTrack project will not only prepare engineers for the climate crisis but also inform policymakers of the urgent need for action. This will not only reduce the risk of structural-failure-induced accidents but also decrease carbon emissions and maintenance costs of slab tracks by an estimated 20% to 30% in a warming climate.

Mots clés : railway tracks slab tracks railway engineering digital twins

Participants :
- École polytechnique de Milan (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209483.28 €
- Université de Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PROTECT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a major health issue, which translates into a severe economic burden. Studies on chronic pain conditions have focused primarily on characterizing pain mechanisms with a focus on alleviating clinical pain intensity. The success of these studies in terms of effective treatment remains extremely limited. Rather than focusing on pain intensity, PROTECT will focus on functional disabilities associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which are the main complain of patients. They can be extremely debilitating and often result in social isolation of persons with chronic musculoskeletal pain. To date, their mechanisms remain poorly understood. A better understanding of these mechanisms is essential to improve treatment efficiency. In work package (WP) 1 of PROTECT, the impact of athletic identity and mental and physical fatigue on the relationship between resilience and functional disabilities will be studied in adults and minors with chronic musculoskeletal pain (RO1). Resilience is associated with functional disabilities, athletic identity and fatigue, a frequent comorbidity of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Characterizing the complex relationship between these factors using computational modeling will define new treatment targets that can be addressed by adapting already available therapeutical interventions. All factors will be assessed using questionnaires, as well as physical and behavioral tasks. In WP2, resting-state fMRI will be used to assess brain networks of functional disabilities in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain. In particular, the role of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in functional disabilities will be investigated (RO2). Changes in DMN connectivity have been associated with acute and chronic pain, as well as with resilience and athletic identity. Finally, PROTECT will focus on the potentially mediating role of resilience and athletic identity on the relationship between the DMN and functional disabilities (RO3).

Mots clés : chronic musculoskeletal pain, resilience, fatigue, athletism, fmri, functional connectivity, default mode network, pain modulation

Participants :
- Université Heinrich Heine de Düsseldorf (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
- Université de Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PUMA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Our current knowledge about human evolution is biased toward terrestrial data whereas some crucial information is stored in sites that are now submerged since the terminal Pleistocene. In dry-land archaeology, the combination of micro-evidences (through paleobotanical, geoarchaeological, and experimental data) has revealed new information. My project aims to explore the applicability of these approaches for the investigation of submerged Paleolithic sites by tackling two main questions:1) What kind of microarchaeological materials are preserved in submerged Paleolithic sites? 2) Why do anthropogenic micro-remains (e.g., phytoliths, ash pseudomorphs) preserve in submerged sites? With the new set of techniques (phytolith morphotype and taphonomy, mineralogical and elemental analysis on thin sections) and knowledge (experimental archaeology, Paleolithic period) to be learned as a Global Fellow at Rutgers University (USA) and in the Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour at the University of Algarve (Portugal), I will provide a new methodological background needed to investigate submerged Paleolithic sites. The combination of micro-geoarchaeology to detect submerged Paleolithic sites and experimentation to explain their preservation will yield highly relevant results. The exploitation of new evidence off the continental shelf will open unique ways for the scientific community while providing the base to protect our cultural heritage from sea-level rising and the exploitation of the seabed. This project will turn me into a unique transdisciplinary and versatile underwater archaeologist at the forefront of archaeological science advances, with a breadth of expertise. I will share practices with marine scientists, paleobotanists, geoarchaeologists, and underwater archaeologists in multiple periods and regions, hence preparing for my employment in tenure positions in the fields of archaeology and marine science.

Mots clés : underwater archaeology, micro geoarchaeology, paleobotany, micromorphology, experimental archaeology, paleolithic

Participants :
- Université Rutgers (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de l'Algarve (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 257113.44 €
Projet BUMBLE-PLAN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Pollination is a vital ecosystemic service for human well-being and subsistence. Pollinators including bumblebees (bees from the Bombus genus) are a keystone for the correct development of this service. Despite their importance, pollinators' population and diversity are extremely threatened by factors linked with human impacts like Plant Protection Products (PPPs, like pesticides) and land use. Because of this, both private and public efforts and funding are aimed at guaranteeing pollinators' biodiversity and health status. Project BUMBLE-PLAN set its basis on this premise but simultaneously included a new and holistic perspective on the role of the gut microbiome on the health status (pathogens control and detoxification pathways) of bees. The main objective of this project is to improve the resilience of managed bumblebees by developing a nutritional supplement capable of providing resistance to PPP commonly used in the agricultural sector and indirectly conferring resistance to various pathogenic organisms that may affect them in synergy. To assess this objective BUMBLE-PLAN is proposed with cutting-edge methodologies like BIOLOG, NGS (WGS) and gene expression qPCR. The results obtained are expected to improve our understanding of the ability of bacteria to metabolize PPP's and clean the environment. As a result, a new sustainable and ecological tool would be acquired to improve pollinators' health and the ecosystem. From these contributions provided by the BUMBLE-PLAN project, it is expected that new research questions will be generated (mainly around the One-Health concept) that will be addressed through the application for future funding, encouraging further internal research. For the correct implementation of the BUMBLE-PLAN project this proposal combines the expertise in pollinator´s behaviour and pathology of the fellow and the infrastructure and wide knowledge - experience of Prof Diana Di Goia and her teamwork at the University of Bologna

Mots clés : microbiome, bumblebees, agrochemicals, pesticide degradation, microbial phenotyping

Participants :
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209483.28 €
Projet ProprioMaps (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Proprioception is a hidden sensory modality and, despite its strong role in motor control, it has been almost neglected. The ProprioMaps project has the overall goal of clarifying the neural mechanisms of proprioception, and its plasticity, to develop a proof of concept for motor rehabilitation. It will avail of the unique opportunity of comparing results in humans (fMRI and fNIRS) with neuron activity recorded in monkeys, providing an extensive understanding of the phenomenon. I will pursue this ambitious goal through three interleaved objectives (Obj). (Obj1) I will adopt fMRI topographic methods to define proprioceptive/motor maps (henceforth called body maps) in the brain of four different populations: healthy, hemiplegic (outgoing and ingoing phases), low vision (secondment), and amputees (placement) people. The involvement of these populations will provide important knowledge concerning body map plasticity. Then, using a visual proprioceptive disparity task and computational approaches (Obj2), I will investigate how these body maps integrate visuo-proprioceptive input during a hand reaching task (fMRI and fNIRS) and during walking (fNIRS). Finally (Obj3), I will decode neurons activity of monkeys performing reaching and grasping tasks with and without visual input, to understand the possibility of predicting the type of action and sensory modality used to perform it. Overall, results will tell us whether vision is able to act as a sensory substitution for proprioception and will elucidate the neural correlates of this mechanism. This sensory substitution concept will be developed in an application that will add proprioceptive information to myoelectric prostheses. In summary, the ProprioMaps project will provide an extensive study of the proprioceptive network and its processes. Furthermore, it will lead to a proof of concept of a sensory substitution application for motor rehabilitation that will be further exploited to develop a sensory substitution device.

Mots clés : proprioception, sensory substitution, embodied cognition

Participants :
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (Suisse) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Istituto Nazionale per l'Assicurazione Contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Reichmann (Israël) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 465071.34 €
Projet SPEAK (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

SPEAK aims to establish the intonation unit as a basic unit of organization of spoken discourse. It does so by exploring the nature of the relationship between intonation units, syntactic constituents, and communicative units in Kazakh and Italian conversation. To achieve this goal, the project combines corpus analysis and experimental methods that approach the main question from the point of view of both production and perception. This project is innovative in that it represents the first study of the intonation units that systematically addresses the issue of written language bias by employing data from the only genre that is cross-linguistically available, namely conversation, and building an explicit comparison between two languages with different traditions of written production (Kazakh and Italian). It is timely given the increasing amount of economic, human, and environmental resources devoted to the development of AI products for the treatment of spoken language. It is impactful insofar as its insights can contribute to the understanding of grammar representation in the human mind and to the technical application that can be leveraged for the development of speech technologies. The study will be conducted at the University of Bologna (Italy) under the supervision of Prof. Caterina Mauri, expert in typological comparison, spoken corpus design, and syntactic analysis, with a secondment of 2 months at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan), where the fellow will be trained in the analysis of Kazakh grammar, perfect their language knowledge, and conduct part of the data collection.

Mots clés : intonation units, spoken grammar, interactional linguistics, spoken language corpora, kazakh, italian

Participants :
- Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209483.28 €