Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet GRE.A.TE.R.S. (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings constitute more than 70% of the existing building stock worldwide and make up the vast majority of the world’s cultural and architectural heritage. Although masonry has proven to be a highly versatile and durable construction material, much of the existing building stock in Europe and developing countries are non-engineered URM buildings, often built with weak materials and following poor construction practices. As a result, the majority of the existing building stock is in dire need of structural rehabilitation and strengthening. Traditional strengthening and rehabilitation techniques include grout or epoxy injections, crack stitching, surface overlays with mesh-reinforced concrete, chicken-wire or reinforced plaster, reinforced concrete jacketing as well as external/internal post tensioning. However, all of these techniques can affect significantly the dynamic response characteristics of the structure and can be costly, labour-intensive and highly obtrusive. In recent years, the use of advanced composite materials in civil engineering applications has increased exponentially, and the various retrofitting solutions that have been developed based on the implementation of these materials have proven to be very effective. However, the high performance of these advanced materials would not be effectively exploited on the less demanding masonry structures and the high material and installation costs would render them prohibitive in most European and developing countries. The proposed project aims to develop a novel strengthening solution that uses natural fibre meshes embedded in an inorganic lime-mortar matrix. The new system will provide a more sustainable and cost‐effective alternative and will provide a more reliable solution that can be engineered to meet the specific performance criteria of masonry buildings.

Mots clés : strengthening, rehabilitation, natural fibres, ntrm, masonry structures, composite materials, sustainability

Participants :
- University of Sheffield (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet Spiral DRAGNs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Until recently, it was thought that large double-lobed radio sources are always hosted by massive elliptical galaxies in the local Universe and that the merger phenomenon responsible for the elliptical morphology is also responsible for triggering the AGN. Consequently, the existence of spiral galaxies that host double-lobed radio sources (“spiral DRAGNs”) is inconsistent with leading galaxy formation models. However, these systems have been confirmed to exist, calling into question our current understanding of galaxy formation. This project aims to establish the role of these systems in galaxy formation: either reconciling their existence with current models or challenging the idea of the standard feedback model. I propose a multi-pronged approach to this project: First, I will study the parsec-scale environment in the immediate vicinity of the AGN and determine whether properties of the central black hole in these spiral hosts are similar to those of the black holes hosted by elliptical galaxies; Second, I will study the megaparsec-scale environment of spiral DRAGNs to determine whether their environment is responsible for their unique nature. I will achieve the first science goal using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) radio observations. I will achieve the second science goal using a combination of archival and new data at multiple wavelengths. Together these two science goals will enable us to definitively determine whether spiral DRAGNs are a result of the intrinsic properties of the black hole, a result of their large-scale environment, or a combination of both these factors. Furthermore, I will exploit my role as lead for the Radio Galaxy Zoo project on spiral DRAGNs to find more of these sources. To-date there have been only four spiral DRAGNs detected. Increasing the sample size is imperative for testing the hypotheses that will be formed in the above two science goals, and enable statistically significant conclusions to be drawn.


Participants :
- University of Manchester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet Si4DM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Unveiling the nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the fundamental open questions in Physics today. A big-bang relic population of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) is among the most favoured candidates. Earth-based direct detection experiments aim to detect the low-energy recoils induced by WIMP-nucleus scattering in an instrumented target. Searching for WIMPs down to neutrino floor is among the highest priorities of the astroparticle physics community for the next decade, but no evidence of this process has been unambiguously reported so far. The null results of current searches for a DM particle at the electroweak scale may be interpreted as a need for a change of paradigm. There is increasing interest in alternative models for DM, and a rich phenomenology, most notably at low masses (<10 GeV/c2). DarkSide-20k will be the first experiment to use novel and specialised ultra-low background silicon photosensors to read out a 50 t liquid argon target, searching for WIMPs. This proposal aims to exploit the potential of the SiPM technology developed for DarkSide-20k to broaden the sensitivity to low-mass DM candidates, by searching for dark matter interactions in the silicon sensors themselves. The goal of the Si4DM (Silicon for Direct Detection of DM in Darkside) project is a world-leading DM search in a novel detector reaching beyond the WIMP paradigm. The proposal objectives are: - the background rejection and energy measurement characterisation in the novel SiPMs, to enable an event-by-event search for DM interactions in the Si, with electron final states; and - to develop the first search for DM in a SiPM target, using sidereal modulation.

Mots clés : dark matter direct detection, sipm, silicon chracterisation, liquid argon tpc

Participants :
- TRIUMF (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 220490.4 €
Projet ADVANC1-METH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Urgent global problems, including climate change and fossil-fuel dependence, force the EU to develop sustainable bio-basedchemical production platforms. However, current biotechnological feedstocks, such as plant-based sugars, suffer from serious limitations in terms of availability and sustainability. A very promising alternativeis the one-carbon (C1) feedstock methanol, which canbe produced in a sustainable manner from waste, or CO2 and renewable hydrogen. So far, the conversion of methanol to products is limited by the lack of suitable, efficientmicrobial cell factories. Hence, this project will engineer a highly efficient, synthetic methanol assimilation pathway into the well-known industrial host bacterium Escherichia coli. First, modular optimization will be performed for the bottleneck steps of enzymatic methanol conversion in the cell. Then, the overall strain performance will be optimized by rational, systems-wide targeting of the metabolic network and fast growing strains on methanol will be selected and studied. To achieve the objectives an innovative high-throughput genome editing approach will be employed. ADVANC1-METH is expected to yield a bacterial platform strain for efficient conversion of methanol to products, and industrially relevant IP and scientific knowledge will be effectively disseminated. The ADVANC1-METH project will aid the applicant to further extend his knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of synthetic biology, bioinformatics, genetic and metabolic engineering, and complement his academic skills to fulfil the ambition to become an independent researcher. The implementation and training will be hosted at an institute with key expertise in bacterial and metabolic engineering. Within the ADVANC1-METH project videos and a board game will be developed to increase public engagement and knowledge on sustainable and methanol-based biotechnology, which are essential to realize a sustainable bio-based society.

Mots clés : synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, directed evolution, genetic engineering, biotechnology

Participants :
- Wageningen University & Research (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187572.48 €
Projet ERRANT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Urgent scientific and public questions are arising from the current growth of the populist radical right (PRR) across Europe. First, not much is known about activism and internal functioning of these political organisations, because they have been studied mainly from macro and structural perspectives. A second overlooked element is their strong territorial presence, and their ability to mobilize localism and community attachments, turning them into political consensus. Third, the political growth of PRR is accompanied by unprecedented levels of societal polarization, concerning in particular immigration and gender. ERRANT deals on these three ground-breaking issues, by focusing on two major Western European PRR actors: Lega and Rassemblement National. The research, organized in two qualitative comparative case studies, focuses on two small-medium towns actually dominated by the parties (high electoral scores; institutional power; cultural legitimation). Research goals are i) to shed light on the internal life of the party branches; ii) to reconstruct the dynamics of their local implantation; iii) to analyse the production of socio-political conflicts on immigration and gender. Data collection techniques will be quantitative analysis of electoral and organizational data; analysis of documentary sources; participant observation; in-depth interviews. Through its experimental, yet rigorous research design, ERRANT will singificantly contribute to the development of new, empirically grounded interpretative categories of PRR activism. Basing on an experimental mix of immersion and comparison, this project will also inaugurate a new methodological template for the qualitative research on parties. Finally, the research will generate societal impact, by enhancing awareness and understanding of the growing influence of populist radical right parties across Europe.

Mots clés : lega, rassemblement national, activism, local communities, communitarian borders, ethnic, gender and lgbt discriminations

Participants :
- Fondation nationale des sciences politiques (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet VDGSEGUR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

VDGSEGUR explores the ways in which dynamics of organised crime and securitised local resource conflicts together impact on the insecurity and violence that women experience in the interoceanic industrial corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Focusing on the protection of women from the risk of becoming a victim of violent crime, VDGSEGUR examines the co-production of security through state, corporate and community actors. It scrutinises how different community actors respond to gendered forms of insecurity, paying particular attention to citizen-led security efforts, or “security from below”. Specific objectives are (1) to scrutinise how the dynamics of resource conflicts and organised crime impact on the insecurity that women experience in the region; (2) to investigate the state security interventions in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca with a focus on the impacts of the Gender Violence Alerts; (3) to assess how community security measures contribute to constructing effective mechanisms to generate sustained security for women; (4) analyse the relationships between different security actors (state, corporate, community/citizen); (5) assess how law enforcement efforts, crime prevention measures and state victim service provision impact on the security perception of victim relatives. The study’s methodology is based on a participatory “security from below” approach, which, departing from agreed norms and shared values, and the contextualised needs of particular communities, aims to contribute to democratising security provision. An intersectional analysis, will allow conclusions regarding sustainable security measures and crime prevention in the Isthmus corridor, broken down according the factors of race, ethnicity and class. The findings will allow insights into what specific measures could diminish individual vulnerability and prevent re-victimisation, as well as reveal possible gaps in victim services, helping to improve them in the future.

Mots clés : gender violence, security, crime prevention, veracruz, oaxaca, mexico, security from below, policy implementation

Participants :
- Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (Mexique) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 234254.4 €
Projet VOICEs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

VOICEs addresses some current debates on obstetrics from engaged philosophy and medical humanities. It applies the epistemological theory of controversies to the values embedded in decision-making in the field aiming at developing a particular section of values-based practice to be used in a variety of clinical contexts around childbirth. VOICEs is directed to individuals and organizations representing the three key stakeholder groups involved: users, professionals, and policymakers. Most current obstetric debates should be seen as ‘controversies’ in the following technical sense: they reflect deep disagreements in factual, methodological, or conceptual matters. Interpreting obstetric debates as controversies is a key element in changing medical practices. VOICEs will advance scientific knowledge in this area using the realist research frameworks of situated epistemology and values-based practice of what works, for whom, and in what circumstances. The action searches for applied and measurable consequences of critical epistemology on childbirth. Obstetric controversies are a perfect experimental space for evaluating the gender, epistemic, and evaluative biases that are present in dominant discourses on childbirth. The research will assess the emancipatory interest displayed in obstetric controversies. The kind of knowledge that serves this interest will be explored with the use of Wittgenstein’s language games, feminist standpoint theory, and epistemology of resistance. Understanding the epistemic basis of emancipatory action is the core motivation of this proposal. Women throughout Europe are demanding less medicalized care in childbirth that makes fuller use of midwifery skills. Other women request elective cesareans for non-medical reasons. The action addresses the autonomy, agency and multiplicity of women’s voices on childbirth; as shown in its acronym, ‘VOICEs’.

Mots clés : controversies, chidlbirth, argumentation theory, values based medical practice, critical theory, emancipatory interest, feminist theory, gender, philosophy of medicine, medical humanities

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet LUNG-BIM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Vaccination is widely considered one of the greatest medical achievements for preventing infectious diseases. The basis for most currently licensed human vaccines relies on the induction of high affinity antibodies by antigen-specific B cells that can neutralise pathogens in case of future exposures. The widespread immunity that vaccination conveys has led to worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of diseases such as polio, diphtheria, and tetanus from most parts of the world. In spite of the worldwide effort to generate a universal flu vaccine, the induction of long-lasting protective immunity has been, so far, unsuccessful owing to the rapid antigenic variation of influenza virus. Due to these limitations, influenza infection remains a serious threat to public health and economy, with 5 to 30% of the world population acquiring seasonal influenza virus every year. Interestingly, it was recently shown that antibodies derived from lung-resident germinal centre B cells, unlike those arising from lymph nodes or spleen, bear the ability to neutralise different strain variants of the virus. These findings not only uncover the physiological advantage of tissue-specific germinal centres but also underscore the potential of targeting B cells directly at the lung mucosa to generate protective vaccines against highly variable viruses. My research plan aims to unveil the early events involved in the induction of B cell immunity at the lung mucosa, with a focus on how respiratory antigens are delivered to B cells at the barrier surface. A precise delineation of the initial steps required for the generation of broadly-neutralising antibodies upon respiratory infection will provide invaluable medical insights towards the development of a universal flu vaccine.

Mots clés : b cells, lung mucosa, influenza virus, respiratory infection

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 146227.04 €
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 38480.8 €
Projet OptoTransport (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Van der Waals heterostructures consisting of atomically thin materials, such as graphene and Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), have generated a tremendous amount of excitement in physics over the past decade. Embedding these systems in optical cavities leads to new hybrid excitations, known as exciton-polaritons, which govern the properties of the light-matter system. In this action, we aim to harness the unique properties of monolayer materials to explore exotic many-body phenomena that emerge due to the complex interplay of optical and electronic excitations. First, we plan to develop a new prototyping platform to rapidly and deterministically prepare high-quality van der Waals heterostructures, which will allow us to investigate a wider range of parameters than ever before. Our broad physics goal is to understand how electron transport is influenced by the presence of exciton-polaritons in different scenarios. In the first set of experiments, we will investigate polaron physics in a Bose-Fermi mixture formed by electrons and polaritons in a single TMD monolayer from a transport perspective. This will subsequently pave the way to exploring novel approaches to enhance interactions between electrons using exciton-polaritons as a mediator. A potentially ground-breaking consequence of our work will be the light-induced modification of transport properties of the system and in particular the enhancement of the critical temperature for superconductivity. The proposed research will therefore have a significant impact on our understanding of transport phenomena.

Mots clés : exciton polaritons, 2d materials, van der waals heterostructures, superconductivity, transition metal dichalcogenides

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet CLOUDWORLDS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Venus is a unique planet in the Solar System with its 100% cloud coverage. We propose to analyze Venus images and spectral observations from the ultraviolet to the near infrared spectral range, to understand the cloud properties and the radiative forcing by clouds in the atmosphere. The techniques we will develop can also be applied to exoplanet observations and modeling. Comparing with the Venus results will help to better understand clouds on exoplanets. We successfully acquired space and ground-based Venus data in 2017-2018 in collaborations with the Japanese Venus orbiter team and 15 other colleagues in Europe, Japan, and USA. Our analysis will use known methods, e.g. the dependence of aerosol scattering on the solar phase angle, a line-by-line radiative transfer model, and a one dimensional radiative-convective model. The proposed research will take place at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Inside the host team, and under the supervision of host Prof. Rauer, the researcher will collaborate with Dr. García Muñoz on the phase angle dependence analysis, with Dr. Helbert to plan scientific observations of Venus with MERTIS at the time of the BepiColombo flyby in 2020, and with Dr. Kitzmann on climate modeling for early Venus. As the host team has strong background in exoplanet research and leads future exoplanet space missions, the researcher will receive training on the comparative analysis of Venus and exoplanets and climate modelling. The proposed study is very timely, considering the upcoming exoplanet missions CHEOPS and PLATO, as well as the proposed future Venus missions. The training and the proposed research will significantly strengthen the career of the researcher, and may help her secure participation in future exoplanet and Venus studies. The researcher will be trained by the host institute in quantitative skills, e.g. the project management and communications with public and students, enhancing the long-term career of the researcher.

Mots clés : clouds, venus, exoplanet, remote sensing, ultraviolet, near infrared, spectral observation, imaging, phase curve, unknown absorber, radiative energy budget, radiative transfer model, climate model

Participants :
- Technische Universität Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174806.4 €