Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet MIDPOINT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Endosseous implants are now widely used in clinical practice to restore joint functionality or to replace missing teeth. Despite their increasing success, implant long-term stability remains a concern and it is difficult to predict the surgical outcome so far. A major cause of failure comes from bone resorption secondary to stress shielding, which arises from the mismatch of the mechanical properties between the implant and the surrounding bone tissue. To overcome this problem, MIDPOINT proposes to design porous implants that will have a biomimetic cancellous bone microstructure with a nonhomogeneous distribution of its material properties. The optimal design will produce implants with mechanical and microstructural properties similar to that of the bone, which will result in an improvement of the effectiveness of osseointegration phenomena. A work methodology that combines multiscale computational modelling and experimental work for the formulation, construction, verification and validation of computational models is proposed. This methodology will comprise i) the design of new biomimetic microstructures that replicate the geometrical properties of the natural trabecular bone using a generative design approach, the Voronoi tessellation approach; ii) the development of an iterative computational method to predict the fatigue life of the artificial microstructures directly at the macroscale employing damage accumulation models coupled with artificial neural networks; and iii) the construction of multiscale models of bone-implant systems to optimize the implant microstructure locally in order to achieve a desirable mechanical response and functional environment for bone ingrowth and, therefore, minimize bone resorption. These techniques will be employed to design implants and scaffolds that, together with medical imaging techniques, can be personalized to the needs of each patient and directly printed at the medical institution using additive manufacturing techniques.

Mots clés : biomechanics, bone, implant, osseointegration, stress shielding, multiscale, modelling, optimization, additive manufacturing, biomimetic microstructures, fatigue failure, neural networks

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet HEASeRS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Energy Intensive Industries (EII) heavily rely on High-Temperature Processes (HTP), notoriously hard to de-carbonise. To meet its carbon neutrality goal, Europe will need to increase the share or dispatchable renewable electricity on the grid and significantly increase the efficiency and electrification of HTP, particularly via electric heating. At high-temperatures, radiation is the dominant heat transfer mode. There are very few technological options available to improve and control the radiative properties of materials able to survive the aggressive oxidation and thermomechanical stresses that occur in HTP. The lack of radiative control reduces the energy efficiency and electrification potential of HTP. The HEASeRS (High-tEmperature Angular-Selective Radiant Surfaces) project explores an innovative approach to spectro-angular radiation control based on the modification of the surface geometry of industrially relevant high-temperature materials at multiple length scales: surface roughness, meso-structures and macro-scale system geometry optimisation. This approach is generally applicable to all HTP and exempt of most of the limitations of existing design paradigms. The findings are applied to a series of proof-of-concept designs targeting innovations in the design of efficient heat exchangers, radiant furnaces, and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) receivers. CSP is a promising renewable energy technology that can potentially supply high-temperature heat and electricity on demand; and shares many similarities with HTP. The 24 months research, based at IME (Madrid, Spain) with a secondment at LTeN (Nantes, France), involves a combination of detailed numerical modelling of radiative heat transfers and experimental activities. Industrial relevance, at the core of the research objectives, is promoted through bi-annual project newsletters featuring interviews of EII, technology providers and researchers; and a intersectoral workshop at the end of the action.

Mots clés : high temperature, solar, receiver, electrification, heat exchanger, furnace, roughness, optics, radiative heat transfer, geometrical optimisation, angular selectivity, ray tracing

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet NanoTrIAL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Energy and resource losses in moving mechanical components as a result of friction and wear impose an enormous cost on national economies and thus call for the development of new design strategies, engineering systems, and materials with improved properties. Besides allowing significant economic savings, the reduction of frictional losses and the protection of mechanical components from wear can also have beneficial environmental effects, i.e., a reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. The goal of the proposed project is to develop an understanding of the mechanism(s) of surface molecular reactivity of a new class of “green” lubricants, i.e., ionic liquids (ILs), under mechanical stress. The gap in our understanding concerning the interaction(s) between ILs and solid surfaces leading to a reduction in friction and wear drastically hinders our ability to predict, control, and improve the behaviour of ILs and motivates the current project. Through the use of novel analytical methodologies that allow a multi-scale investigation of the processes occurring at buried sliding interfaces in the presence of ILs, insights into the origin of the promising tribological properties of ILs will be gained. The project has a strong multidisciplinary character and will greatly benefit from the expertise that the fellow acquired from his mobility between research institutions in different countries. Through NanoTrIAL, the fellow will broaden his scientific background, develop complementary knowledge in new areas, and increase his chances of success in academia. The broader impact of NanoTrIAL will be to aid in the rational design and synthesis of new, modified, and improved ILs that can reduce energy and resource consumption in advanced tribological applications. Furthermore, the project will imply highly innovative, direct methodological developments that can be broadly applied, thus enhancing European academic and commercial competitiveness.

Mots clés : surface science, tribology, nanotribology, lubrication science, atomic force microscopy, photoemission electron microscopy, x ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Participants :
- University of Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet HEAPPs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Energy harvesting continues to receive increasing amounts of industrial and academic interest since it provides a route for the realisation of autonomous and self-powered low-power electronic devices. Pyroelectric materials, the focus of this proposal, are of interest since under the correct conditions they have the ability to operate with a high thermodynamic efficiency for converting temperature fluctuations into useable electrical power. To improve the power generation capability of these materials, the improvement and optimisation of the pyroelectric properties and relevant figure of merits are imperative for expanding the field of applications. In this proposal we will examine pyroelectric ceramics with tailored porosity since they have the potential to exhibit high mechanical strength and performance figures of merit by maintaining a high pyroelectric coefficient with a reduced permittivity and volume specific heat. To date, reports on the porous pyroelectric ceramics are limited due to poor control of pore size and mechanical properties. This research will focus on the development of aligned porous pyroelectric ceramics with readily adjustable pyroelectric properties. The Fellowship will allow me develop professional maturity in terms of leading knowledge transfer to a new institution, gaining experience of a boarder range of skill sets (modelling, energy, harvesting systems) for thermal energy harvesting applications. In addition, the fellowship will contribute to the strengthening of the European energy harvesting research community to the establishment of a long-term collaboration between the host and the applicant's country. By expanding my research and academic training, supported by Prof. Bowen and University of Bath, this fellowship will be a key step in the applicant’s career development, as the applicant aims to take a leadership role and build a better platform for energy harvesting applications upon returning to her home country.

Mots clés : aligned pore structure, energy harvesting applications, pyroelectric ceramics, improvement of mechanical and pyroelectric properties

Participants :
- University of Bath (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet MEND (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Energy is key for economic development. Especially in the era of sustainable development, the source, the type, and the mix of energy are as important as access to energy. This is particularly important in least developed countries (LDCs) such as Ethiopia which heavily relies on traditional biomass energy sources. Barely a quarter of total households in Ethiopia use electricity as a source of light in their houses while 96% of the households depend on biomass for cooking fuel. This in turn contributes to indoor air pollution which causes more than 50,000 deaths annually and nearly 5% of the burden of disease in the country. Besides, the sources of electricity are least diversified. About 95% of electricity comes from hydro-power with thermal, geothermal, and wind sources contributing the rest. Yet, the country regards hydro-power electricity as one of its potential export item. For instance, in the year 2017/2018, electricity contributed to 3% of the total merchandise export earnings. On the other hand, however, petroleum products make up to 10-14% of the country’s spending on imports. As such, in Ethiopia, investment in energy transition has many implications for the economy (e.g. on total factor productivity, structural change, trade balance), the environment (e.g. deforestation and soil fertility), and human health (e.g. indoor air pollution). In light of this, the use of scientific studies on the energy-economy-environment inter-linkages will be paramount. However, the research in this subject is yet nascent in Ethiopia. The existing literature overwhelmingly focuses on the supply side of a specific energy source barely touching the interaction among energy sources, the interaction of energy with environment and economy, and the demand side. This project primarily intends to fill these appealing gaps, and examine the environment-energy-economy inter-linkages in Ethiopia using partial equilibrium energy model and an economy-wide general equilibrium model.

Mots clés : energy, sustainable development, africa, ethiopia

Participants :
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183473.28 €
Projet DUALgRENP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Enhancers are cis-regulatory genomic regions that can modulate gene expression in a cell type-specific and time-controlled manner to regulate cellular behaviour. ChIP-seq and RNA-seq technologies have allowed genome-wide identification of potential enhancers based on the correlation among specific chromatin marks, transcription factor biding sites and gene expression. However, strategies to validate their function are still limited. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology can be used to delete large genomic regions at high frequency by co-transfection of two guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting collinear genomic sites and subsequent NHEJ-mediated repair. Nevertheless, this system is limited to individual tests. Here we aim to generate a novel lentiviral dual-gRNA expression system that enables large scale functional enhancer screening. The candidate will apply this dual-gRNA expression system to generate custom libraries that will allow the functional identification and subsequent validation of essential enhancers for the maintenance of mouse Embryonic Stem (mES) cell identity. This technology will provide a comprehensive view of the function of enhancers within their genomic context and will enable for the first time the performance of systematic, genetic forward enhancer screens.

Mots clés : stem cells, enhancers, crispr, cas9, forward genetic screens

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet INMIfungi (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Entomopathogenic fungi belong to the most important antagonists of arthropods in soil. Due to their antagonistic function, entomopathogenic fungi have a great potential for us in biological control of insect and mite pests. However, knowledge on how abundance and diversity of these fungi is affected by environmental factors is limited. While a number of studies have assessed effects of abiotic factors, effects of biotic factors such as microbial and arthropod communities have remained largely unassessed. The goal of this project is to investigate the interactions of microbial and arthropod communities with the entomopathogenic fungal genera Metarhizium and Beauveria and how abundance and diversity of the two genera might be affected by the two biotic factors. Analyses will be performed in soils obtained from 30 sites representing three habitat types with different management intensities (crop, grassland, forest) in Switzerland. Multilocus SSR-marker genotyping and high-throughput amplicon sequencing will be used to assess genetic diversity of Metarhizium spp. and Beauveria spp. and microbial and arthropod diversity in the soil samples. Multivariate statistics will be applied to investigate correlations among different abiotic and biotic factors and Metarhizium and Beauveria abundance and diversity. The project will provide novel insight on how entomopathogenic fungal populations interact with soil biota and fill important knowledge gaps. It will provide basic data to further exploit their use for biological pest control, a significant factor for implementation of sustainable agriculture. Experiments planned will involve state-of-the-art NGS technology and require further adaptation of the technology for application in an area in which its use has been limited. In addition, the project has a strong training component for the applicant including acquisition of up-to-date methods and the opportunity to develop research leadership and professional maturity.

Mots clés : insect pathogenic fungi, metarhizium, beauveria, soil biotic factors, next generation sequencing, soil microbial communities

Participants :
- Federal Department of Economic Affairs Education and Research (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 175419.6 €
Projet LIGFLOW (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Environmental concerns linked to society’s dependence on fossil resources have spurred an unprecedented search for sustainable processes, not only for energy but also for manufacturing chemicals and materials. Unfortunately, the low efficiency of emerging technologies based on renewable resources often hinders their profitability. Bloom Biorenewables Ltd maximizes the utilization of non-edible biomass using a novel stabilization strategy that prevents undesired degradation pathways during bio-refining. Pure fractions are stabilized, isolated and upgraded to products such as fragrances, textile fibres or bio-plastics. With a 10-fold yield increase compared to current solutions, lignin applications can drive rather than hinder the process’s techno-economic feasibility. Yet, catalytic lignin depolymerisation for the production of high value molecules represents the main bottleneck for scale-up and is currently limiting the company’s ability to respond to the increasing demand for lignin products. LIGFLOW will develop an industry-compatible lignin depolymerisation process that paves the way for a continuous operation demonstrator. The main objectives are: 1) Transfer from batch to flow reactor; 2) Enable solvent recycling >90% and perform in situ catalyst regeneration; 3) Isolate and purify targeted products for distribution to key industrial partners; 4) Perform process modelling and life cycle assessment to achieve a full techno-economic and sustainability analysis of the resulting process. LIGFLOW’s results will unlock more profitable and sustainable production routes for biomass-derived aromatics. LIGFLOW also aligns with the MSCA Work Programme by building powerful and lasting synergies between the applicant’s expertise (lignin chemistry, flow reactors) and the host company (disruptive biomass upgrading technologies). Together with the company, the applicant will develop scientific, business and leadership skills to jumpstart her career in the bio-based industry.

Mots clés : lignin, depolymerisation, fragrances, polyurethanes, lignocellulosic biomass, catalysis, flow reactor, recycling

Participants :
- Bloom biorenewables sa (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 203149.44 €
Projet HeadStrong (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Environments impact organism diversity and drive convergence—whereby distantly related species share phenotypes due to adaptation to similar environments (e.g. bird, bat wings). Evolutionary studies of ‘environment’ often apply arbitrary categories (e.g. fossorial, arboreal) that vaguely blend biotic and abiotic factors, limiting quantitative studies of form-function links. Innovatively, this project will test the hypothesis that a continuous physical variable (substrate density) has driven head shape adaptation. Under this hypothesis, a density gradient mirrors a phenotypic response gradient. Snakes are a superb system to study head shape adaptations because of: 1) spectacular taxonomic and phenotypic diversity, including many independent origins of aquatic and burrowing forms, and 2) limblessness, requiring snake heads to adapt to demands for locomotion as well as feeding, and protecting sensory organs. Similarities in aquatic and burrowing snake heads have been explained by adaptation to mostly unspecified environmental factors. Testing the hypothesis that variation in head shape is explained by substrate density will provide a fresh perspective on debates about the possibly aquatic or burrowing origin of snakes. I will quantify: a) head shape of snakes living in substrates of various densities, b) mechanical forces undergone by heads and skulls during headfirst locomotion, c) integration among head, skull and braincase shape. These data will be analysed in a comparative phylogenetic framework. HeadStrong combines 3D imaging, mechanics experiments with a snake-like robot and computer simulations that will be performed in globally leading institutions with unrivalled resources in terms of a vast reptile collection, outstanding imaging facilities, and expert staff. HeadStrong’s originality and interdisciplinary nature will generate exceptional datasets and high-profile outputs and establish the applicant as an innovative leader in functional biology.

Mots clés : functional morphology, integrative biology, biomechanics, adaptation, robotics, locomotion, feeding, skull, head, snakes

Participants :
- Natural History Museum (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet BIO-LIGHT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Enzymatic catalysis plays a centrally important role for the preparation of chiral molecules and in the transition towards a more sustainable chemistry. In spite of their potential, natural enzymes use only a relatively small section of ‘reaction space’. This implies that only a limited number of stereocontrolled reaction classes, which are characterized by a similar reaction mechanism, can be effectively promoted. For example, a natural enzyme co-opted for new chemistry has the limitation that the new reactivity must be quite closely related to the naturally established catalytic function. The BIO-LIGHT project seeks to identify new strategies that allow enzymes to catalyse new-to-nature asymmetric reactions, thus expanding the reactivity boundaries of biocatalysis. To achieve this goal, we will combine biocatalysis with visible light photocatalysis, a modern strategy of chemical reactivity which offers a potent way to sustainably build new molecules. Specifically, we will explore the potential of native intermediates in the enzymes’ active sites to reach an excited state upon light absorption and enable new-to-nature enantioselective radical reactions. Light will be used to elicit mechanistic divergence within enzymes with an established ground-state reactivity, thus allowing them to catalyse completely different processes than those for which they evolved. The collaboration with an international pharma-company (Bayer AG) will facilitate the development of photo-enzymatic processes yielding chiral molecules adorned with biologically relevant scaffolds. BIO-LIGHT combines the fellow’s experience in enzymatic catalysis and directed evolution and the host’s experience in photo-triggered asymmetric radical processes. The multi-cultural and intersectorial nature of this project will contribute to broaden the fellow’s competencies and will place him in a competitive position for the next career move.

Mots clés : asymmetric catalysis, enamines, enzymatic catalysis, radical chemistry, organocatalysis, photochemistry

Participants :
- Institut Català d'Investigació Química (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €