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

Among the different global challenges that we are facing today, the energy crisis and freshwater scarcity represent two of the most critical ones, according to international institutions such as the World Health Organization and the International Energy Agency. Moreover, they are expected to worsen with rising populations and the industrialisation of emerging countries. To address these, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions are imperative. In this context, solar energy, an abundant and green resource, can be leveraged to meet both needs. PHOTEM will do so with an innovative approach that efficiently combines photothermal desalination with thermoelectric generation, driven by the development of novel high-performing and environmentally friendly materials. In this approach, photothermal materials (PTMs) directly convert solar energy into heat, facilitating the evaporation of clean water from seawater. Concurrently, the thermoelectric generator (TEG) uses the radiated waste heat from photothermal conversion process to generate electricity through the Seebeck effect. The project’s ambitious goal is to design, synthesize, and integrate these novel materials into a unified system that optimizes water evaporation rates and electricity generation while minimizing environmental impact. PHOTEM focuses on three key components: the PTM, the TEG, and the engineering of their integration (EOI). By advancing the efficiency of these components beyond the current state-of-the-art, the project aims to achieve high evaporation rates, improved solar evaporation efficiencies, and cost-effective, stable TEG. PHOTEM’s innovative approach aligns with global sustainability goals, offering a scalable and impactful solution to the intertwined issues of water and energy scarcity.

Mots clés : perovskites, lead free, mechanochemistry, thermoelectrics, photothermal, desalination

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Carthagène (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209914.56 €
Projet RACE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The complex traffic environment with dynamic changes of speed and acceleration of multi-surrounding vehicles, and adhesion coefficient and curve radius of the road, results in that the optimal and precise control of lane change for intelligent articulated heavy vehicle (IAHV) is difficult to be achieved. According to the real-time states of multi-surrounding vehicles and road parameters, the real-time safe optimal trajectory of lane change is obtained by setting the multi-objective function considering efficiency, jack-knife, yaw and roll stability. The dynamic thresholds of each control mode, which are modified by real-time trajectory and road parameters, are obtained, and then the multi-mode switching mechanism is established by deep neural network. The vehicle parameters and states are accurately estimated by using an estimator with multi-estimation algorithms combining steady state with dynamic state. Considering the parameter uncertainty, a robust control strategy based on a linear parameter-varying model is designed to real-time achieve precise and optimal tracking control of dynamic trajectory and maintain vehicle stability by optimizing weight coefficients and multi-mode switching. Thus, the safe and optimal lane change of IAHV under normal and extreme conditions with different velocities and loads is realized. The proposed control strategy is verified on HIL bench. The research results will provide theoretical basis for IAHV control in complex traffic environment. This project provides a unique knowledge exchange from leading experts in different fields (vehicle, control, mechanical, transportation, optimization, motor, pneumatic) to solve the challenges in IAHV. The fellow will benefit from not only the scientific impact of the work but also exposure to new techniques and collaborative networks in different disciplines. The dedicated training and high scientific value will help the fellow to become an independent researcher in a world-leading institution.

Mots clés : intelligent vehicle dynamic lane change trajectory planning and tracking robust control parameter and state estimation

Participants :
- Université de Pavie (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet CARDINAL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Chronic treatments of CVDs are scarce because of poor predictivity of current two-dimensional (2D) pre-clinical models. State-of-the-art 3D-tissue models based on human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be more predictive of human genetics but fail to replicate the 3D cardiac muscle structure. In fact, the heart evolved to ensure efficient emptying of the chambers via a 3D chiral organization of muscle tissue not yet recapitulated in organoids or engineered ventricles. In CARdiac tissue Design, beating INduction, and Assessment using multiwavelength Light (CARDINAL), I will replicate the native chiral architecture of the heart in a minimal 3D model of the heart muscle and validate the resulting assay for drug screening. Our objectives will tackle three main challenges in the field: 1) Create the chiral scaffold to host the hiPSC-derived cardiac muscle cells (hiPSC-CMs). I will use cavitation molding - a light-based 3D-structuring method I previously developed - to obtain chirally organized micro-channels in soft hydrogels. 2) Populate these scaffolds with high-purity hiPSC-CMs that can be triggered and assayed with optical methods. I will leverage the host lab's engineered hiPSC line that features structural and functional fluorescent sensors. To that line, we will add optogenetic actuators and antibiotic resistance to directly control the final hiPSC-CM yield, trigger contraction, and image cell structure and function volumetrically. 3) Validate the predictivity of our new 3D chiral platform in drug screening applications. To do that, we will test a panel of cardiac drugs with known safety/efficacy profiles with our new platform, 2D hydrogels, and traditional glass slides. The CARDINAL project will provide the drug screening field with a more biomimetic tissue-engineered model of the heart muscle that can be extended to vascularized models and the full organ, eventually.

Mots clés : 3d hydrogel structuring, cavitation molding, cardiac muscle, human induced pluripotent stem cells, cardiac muscle, drug screening

Participants :
- Université de Pavie (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet CINNEPHILIA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The fishery of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus is among the most prominent ones in Europe (Atlantic and Mediterranean waters). With signs of overexploitation and stock decline, standardised monitoring of populations over large areas is a priority for the authorities. However, traditional assessment methods based on fishing (trawl sampling) are expensive, highly invasive for the environment and influenced by the species’ burrowing (buried individuals are not sampled). Besides, alternative video-based methods like UnderWater TeleVision surveys with Remotely Operated Vehicles count burrow entrances and rely on the rough assumption that 1 entrance equals 1 individual and vice versa. CINNEPHILIA aims to semi-automate a data-processing pipeline and establish relevant ecological indicators to monitor N. norvegicus populations in test sites and Marine Protected Areas of the Catalan coast, pushing stock estimation accuracy beyond the current state of the art. Footage and oceanographic data from planned research cruises and lander-station deployments will be analysed and compared with available data from local fisheries, to calculate densities per Km2 and a more precise ratio of individuals to burrow entrances. Through the main host and secondment phases, I will connect to interdisciplinary groups (ecology, oceanography, fishery science, image analysis and marine engineering). Moreover, I will enhance my future career with training on data science, project management, soft skills, and exposure to fishery and ecosystem management practices. The output (a standardised, highly automated protocol) is directly transferable to international initiatives such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES, responsible for Nephrops monitoring in the Atlantic) through the participation of my supervisor in the ICES Working Group on Nephrops Surveys. Finally, the aims align to the Horizon Europe mission on “Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters”.

Mots clés : intelligent robotic platforms nephrops norvegicus landers data processing pipeline automatisation non destructive marine ecosystem monitoring fish stock assessment

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
- Université polytechnique de Catalogne (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NoShortProof (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Efficient algorithms are vital for dealing with the ever growing amounts of data in our modern world. A particularly tricky task is posed by so-called combinatorial problems, where objects need to be combined together to form a solution satisfying some specified constraints. Increasing data size quickly causes an exponential growth in the search space for such problems, and despite decades of effort no algorithms have been designed that are guaranteed to tame this combinatorial explosion. In practice, however, it is often possible to find algorithmic shortcuts that work reasonably well, although there is very limited scientific understanding of when and why this is the case. This points to a fundamental challenge: We need a better understanding of the power and limitations of modern algorithm design.  An important tool for algorithm analysis is to describe its method of reasoning in a formal proof system. When the algorithm terminates, the execution trace can be viewed as a proof of correctness of the result computed. If we can prove mathematically that no short proofs exist for certain types of statements, then this shows that the algorithm cannot possibly solve the corresponding problems efficiently.  The goal of this project is to shed light on proof systems corresponding to some of the most powerful algorithmic paradigms in wide use and to delineate their potential. One concrete objective is to study combinatorial and algebraic methods for solving well-known graph problems such as Clique. Another goal is to compare semidefinite programming to traditional algorithms for solving non-Gaussian component analysis (NGCA), a fundamental problem in statistical learning. I will do so by strengthening existing techniques for analyzing these proof systems and combining them in novel ways. In particular, one important challenge will be to study the setting where the power of a proof system needs to be understood for a distribution of problems from which the input is drawn.

Mots clés : proof complexity, lower bounds, combinatorial optimization, resolution, groebner basis reasoning, sum of squares

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230774.4 €
- Université polytechnique de Catalogne (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SAND (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Head and neck sarcomas constitute rare malignant tumors of mesenchymal origin with poor prognosis. Rarity induces major challenges for diagnosis and limits the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of sarcoma and its malignancy processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor subsets share transcriptomic similarities with their corresponding cell lineage embryonic origins and mimic the tissue-specific developmental programs. We will combine developmental and cancer biology approaches and state-of-the-art cell transcriptomic tools to comprehensively analyze neck musculoskeletal morphogenesis and identify regulators of mesenchymal malignancy. Using the similarities between tumor and normal embryonic development, both characterized by rapid cell expansion, we will investigate embryonic pathways that could be re-initiated during tumor formation and expansion. TGFβ signaling appears critical for both tumorigenesis and neck musculoskeletal formation by modulating genetic networks involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Manipulation of our candidate genes in sarcoma cell lines and mouse embryo will characterize TGFβ function during morphogenesis and sarcomagenesis and assess how TGFβ pathway dysregulation is associated with disease progression and treatment responsiveness. Transcriptomic sequencing at single cell level of the heterogenous neck connective tissue precursors will generate the first single-cell atlas of the developing neck. Comparison of developmental dataset with published single-cell sequencing dataset from sarcoma primary tumors and surrounding healthy tissues will allow us to identify molecular processes of normal and tumor development to uncover developmental programs associated with sarcoma induction. The collected data will allow a better understanding of the mechanisms behind TGFβ regulation and neck sarcomagenesis, and will hopefully uncover novel and targetable components for tumor treatments.

Mots clés : neck development, head and neck sarcoma

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet LEKPV (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Indoor Indoor photovoltaic (IPV) cells have the potential to power distributed and remote sensors, actuators, and communication devices enabling the widespread implementation of Internet of Things. Commercial (CIGS, CdTe) and emerging (Perovskite, organic solar cells) photovoltaic technologies face several challenges for indoor applications including cost, toxicity, and stability. In contrast, kesterite materials are composed of earth-abundant, non-toxic elements and show excellent stability. This technology has recently achieved efficiencies of 14.9% under AM1.5G, demonstrating its high efficiency potential. However, its current deployment for IPV is limited by low efficiency due to the spectral mismatch with the indoor spectrum, consequence of its low bandgap (1.1 eV). This proposal aims to develop efficient kesterite solar cells with a higher bandgap tailored for IPV applications. This project will combine advanced numerical simulations with an eco-friendly DMSO process and innovative precursor ink design, novel thermal annealing, and tailored electron selective contacts which will lead to significant improvements in the device performance. The main objectives include: 1) To develop an advanced numerical model for kesterite solar cells, laying the theoretical foundation for device architecture design; 2) To design a compositionally flexible precursor ink that leads to sustainable and cost-efficient kesterite absorbers with flexible Eg (from 1.4 to 1.7 eV); 3) To synthesize high-quality kesterite films with using high-pressure thermal annealing; and 4) To deposit band-aligned electron selective contact materials for the various Eg kesterite. The project will lead to an impressive 25% efficiency for indoor kesterite solar cells and demonstrate efficient mini-modules. These original ideas will set the stage for affordable, bio-safe, and durable indoor solar cells. It also provides a technical approach for the comprehensive design of other emerging PV technologies.

Mots clés : kesterite, indoor photovoltaics, thin film solar cells, critical raw materials free semiconductors

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Catalogne (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet SMESC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The ability to prepare a macroscopic mechanical oscillator in a non classical state would have dramatic implications, both at the fundamental level, by upgrading our knowledge of the boundary between classical and quantum physics, and on a more applied point of view, by using the potentially long coherence time of state of the art mechanical oscillators as quantum memories in a quantum information experiment. If alternatives exist, the direct coupling of a spin platform to a mechanical oscillator is one of the most advanced route to reach such milestone. So far, the strong coupling regime, characterized by a spin mechanical exchange rate above both the mechanical and the spin decoherence rates, has not been attained except in GigaHertz frequency mechanical oscillators coupled to superconducting qubits. Among spin platforms, Nitrogen Vacancy centers in diamond offer very long coherence times and a large optical transition. Immersed in a strong magnetic gradient bias, their energy splitting depends on their position, creating the spin-mechanical interface. Among mechanical oscillators, silicon carbide nanowires offer very low masses and therefore an extremely high force sensitivity, which is of prior interest to measure the very low force induced by a single spin flip to a magnet attached to its tip.  Spin MEchanics in the Strong Coupling (SMESC) will build a cryogenic spin mechanical coupling platform with a NV center host and a silicon carbide nanowire functionalized with a nanomagnet. It will demonstrate the first operation of such platform in the strong coupling regime by performing a single shot readout of the spin state by reading the position of the mechanical oscillator.

Mots clés : nv centers, non classical mechanical state

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet ELECTROGENDEV (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Turning a single cell into a complex organism is a key biological process usually studied through molecular signals that guide cell specialization and tissue development. Although chemical gradients and transcription factors have been extensively studied, recent research highlights the critical role that bioelectric signals play in embryonic patterning and gene regulation. These bioelectric signals are produced when charged ions flow through certain proteins, such ion channels and pumps, and pass through the cell membrane. Unfortunately, because these two disciplines are frequently investigated independently, the precise interaction between bioelectric signals and gene control throughout embryonic development remains substantially unknown. The objective of the ELECTROGENDEV project is to unite these two fields and present an exhaustive explanation of how gene regulation and bioelectricity work together to govern embryonic development in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Due to its quick growth and simple body plan, this marine invertebrate has become an invaluable model organism for researching the molecular underpinnings of early embryonic development. In this project, I will map the bioelectric landscape during ascidian embryogenesis using genetically encoded voltage indicators and ion sensors. Parallelly, I will study a variety of ion channels, which are responsible for establishing that bioelectric landscape, and determine which ones are co-expressed with important developmental genes. Integrating these findings will pinpoint important regulatory nodes in the development of embryos, which I will then modify pharmacologically or genetically to create a full model of how bioelectric signals interact with the genetic program during embryo development. The findings have the potential to lead to new uses of bioelectric signaling, allowing us to address crucial issues in developmental diseases, regenerative medicine, and cancer reprogramming.

Mots clés : bioelectricity, ascidian, ciona, membrane potential, ion channel

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet TOXIBEECOG (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Honey bees play a key role in diverse ecosystems due to their pollination services. This activity depends on the capacity to learn and memorize floral olfactory and visual cues, thus bees are not only able of simple associative learning but also master higher-order forms of learning. Reversal learning (RL) and Negative Patterning Learning (NPL) help bees to effectively exploit complex environments. Foraging leads to pesticidal exposure, contributing to the concerning decline of bee health. Several studies revealed the adverse effects of pesticides on bee health, but their impact on higher-order cognition is still unaddressed. Focusing on this vital form of behavioural plasticity is important as it could reveal pesticide impairments at unsuspected low doses, as compared to simpler and more robust learning tasks (e.g. Differential Learning, DL). Thus, it is relevant and timely to explore the impact of pesticides on higher-order cognition in bees, focusing on both ‘classic’ (neonicotinoid) and newer (sulfoxamine) common insecticides. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of field-realistic exposure to a neonicotinoid and a sulfoxamine on three ecologically relevant learning tasks of varying cognitive complexity (DL, RL, NPL). While DL is a case of simple associative learning, RL involves transient stimulus ambiguity and requires learning flexibility; NPL is a case of non elemental learning as stimulus ambiguity is constantly present during the learning task. These problems will be studied in the olfactory domain, using olfactory conditioning, and in the visual domain, using a virtual reality approach. These protocols will be combined with various forms of pesticide exposure. We will determine how pesticides affect higher-order problem-solving in bees and will provide insights into the underlying neural mechanisms of pesticide effect on learning and memory. Our project represents an innovative initiative aiming at bridging the gap between cognition and ecotoxicology.

Mots clés : honey bees, cognition, pesticides, neonicotinoids, clothianidin, sulfoxaflor, bee health, problem solving, per, reversal learning, differential conditioning, negative patterning, virtual reality

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €