Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet REWCHEM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This proposal combines physical science research with metallurgical process design and engineering to promote positive change in the electronic waste (e-waste) industries and create economic and societal benefits for the world. We undertake coordination and supramolecular chemistry research to understand and develop reagents for e-waste metal separations, integrate this insight into practicable solutions for e-waste recycling, and translate research outputs into innovation for the e-waste industry in a sustainable way. We utilize the recovered precious metals from e-waste to develop catalysts for hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction through electrochemistry. Hence, the proposal targets three key agenda of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and the United Nations Sustainability Goals, i.e., circular economy, sustainable energy, and environment.

Mots clés : electronic waste, recycling, precious metals, sustainable chemistry, hydrogen generation, co2 reduction

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Catalogne (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet MagChirSwitch (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The MagChirSwitch MSCA-PF project pioneers cutting-edge chiral Fe(II) and Fe(II)Ln(III) materials, leveraging spin-crossover (SCO) phenomena to achieve unprecedented control over chiroptical and magneto-chiroptical effects. Focusing on magneto-chiral dichroism (MChD) and (magnetic) circularly polarised luminescence ((M)CPL), MagChirSwitch aims to be the first to follow these phenomena over Fe(II) transitions, driven by the design of innovative chiral SCO complexes. The bistability of Fe(II) ions between paramagnetic and diamagnetic states offers breakthrough potential for switching chiroptical properties – an unexplored frontier that could redefine magneto-chiral materials and expand SCO applications. The project unfolds in two phases. The first focuses on the development of chiral SCO crystalline materials and the successful detection of MChD and/or (M)CPL switching, triggered by temperature (thermally-induced SCO) or light (light-induced excited spin-state trapping, LIESST). This molecular approach enables precise design and rapid optimisation of magnetic and chiroptical properties. The second phase pushes the boundaries by transferring these magneto-switching effects to nanomaterials, advancing their real-world application potential. Nanomaterials that retain these switching abilities will enable scalable production, such as thin films for next-generation magneto-chiroptical devices. Additionally, transitioning to nanoparticles may reveal novel phenomena, such as shape changes linked to Fe(II) spin transitions. MagChirSwitch will profoundly enhance the post-doctoral fellow’s expertise by exposing her to advanced synthesis and measurement techniques (including MChD measurements during short visits at LNCMI, CNRS), as well as interdisciplinary collaboration. This experience will be pivotal in launching her academic career, equipping her to lead her own research group at a university in Europe and securing high-impact research funding.

Mots clés : magneto chiral materials, molecular magnetism

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

The egg-laying circuit of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the best-understood model neural circuits. Yet, how genetic changes in the circuit translate into natural behavioral variation within the species remains limited. Characterizing standing genetic variation—an inherent feature of most animal populations and essential for evolution—is a fundamental aspect of understanding any model system. I will study the genetic diversity underlying C. elegans egg-laying behavior by focusing on an ecologically important phenotype: matricidal hatching (MH). MH occurs when egg laying is so limited that larvae are forced to hatch inside the parental body. While usually a plastic response to poor environments, MH is constitutive (CMH) in multiple divergent lineages: this represents a chance to study how different molecular pathways converge on the same phenotype. I will identify the molecular causes of CMH in different natural strains and I will further study how CMH can emerge through novel genetic interactions in hybrid strains derived from crosses between non-CMH parents. Traditionally, genome-wide association (GWA) and linkage mapping in C. elegans are complicated by the species’ strong linkage disequilibrium and the labor-intensive construction of mapping panels, respectively. To overcome this, I will employ state-of-the-art methods and novel resources to identify Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and their underlying molecular variants that lead to CMH. This project will allow me to learn the handling of a new model organism, broaden my molecular biology and bioinformatics skills, and grow as a scientist by expanding my experience in genotype-phenotype analysis from single proteins to genome-wide studies of a complex phenotype. As the first study to examine the effects of genetic diversity on the nematode egg-laying circuit, my results will deepen our knowledge of this model circuit and deepen our general understanding of within-species behavioral variation.

Mots clés : neural circuits, egg laying behavior, phenotypic convergence, genetic diversity

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

In Bantu studies, versification has rarely been investigated. Except in the rare cases where a metrical theory was already locally established, the Bantu poetic traditions have been described as having only approximate verse patterns, not regular enough to be metres. Moreover, the scarce attention given to Bantu versification has prevented any attempt at a comparative investigation of their history. This project aims at filling all these gaps. The research will focus on a subset of Bantu languages, which share the linguistic trait of penultimate lengthening (PL). A concise definition of PL is the lengthening of the penultimate syllable of a prosodic unit. The starting hypothesis of this research is that PL is the basic linguistic device used for versification in several Bantu languages. To verify this, the researcher will analyse how PL interacts with the construction of the poetic line in Chewa poetry: this research will include some periods of fieldwork carried out in Malawi, where Chewa is the majoritarian language. The Chewa language serves as the main focus because it has already been the object of extensive research on suprasegmental phonology. Moreover, the Chewa people have deep historical bonds with other Bantu cultural foyers. The Chewa area is close to two zones with important poetic traditions, Great Lakes and Southern Bantu, and had strong trade bonds with the Indian Ocean and the Swahili world. This project will look at Chewa versification in comparison with Sena, another Bantu language of the Zambezi River valley, and with archaic Swahili poetry. In fact, due to the history of language contacts that has taken place in this zone, understanding Chewa versification opens the door to further, large-scale research on Bantu versification. This would rewrite our understanding of Bantu poetry, both in the past (mutual influences between cognate literatures) and in the present (how literary tradition is felt today and which role it plays in society).

Mots clés : african studies, african poetry, bantu linguistics, prosody, metre, oral literature, philology of orality

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

The rapid spread of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major global health threat, leading to treatment failures. Beyond resistance, bacteria employ also other strategies to counteract antibiotics. Persisters represent a bacterial subpopulation that can survive transient exposure to different stresses, such as nutrient depletion, low pH or the presence of antibiotics. Increasing evidence suggests clinical importance of persister formation, since their ability to regrow after termination of antibiotic treatment is a cause for prolonged and relapsing course of many bacterial infections. Formation of persisters also accelerates the emergence of antibiotic resistance, worsening the problem of bacterial AMR. Recent research indicates that mechanisms involved in persister formation may also enhance the overall adaptability of bacteria to antibiotics and stresses imposed by host immune system. Targeting these dual mechanisms could represent a unique two-pronged strategy to improve treatment efficiency, preventing resistance development and decreasing bacterial survival within the host. However, our understanding of these mechanisms is very limited. Combining microbiology, molecular biology and infection models, together with cutting-edge techniques such as metabolomics and transcriptomics, I propose to identify key biological adaptations underlying the formation of bacterial persisters and to explore their impact on host-pathogen interactions and infection outcomes. As an emerging pathogen known for its high antibiotic resistance and ability to endure harsh conditions during infection, I selected Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs) as a clinically relevant model for this study. Discovery of such adaptations can lead to the development of innovative treatments tackling not only Mabs infections, but also the broader challenge of AMR.

Mots clés : mycobacteria, persistence, stress tolerance, antimicrobial resistance

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

Alkanes, the principal components of natural gas and widely produced by the petrochemical industry, represent a significant carbon source for chemical synthesis. However, due to the low reactivity of the C(sp3)–H bond, converting alkanes into higher-value products is challenging and remains one of the Holy Grails of chemistry. In this context, transition metal-catalyzed C(sp3)–H bond amination has emerged as a powerful tool for alkane derivatization. However, this transformation is almost exclusively limited to the functionalization of activated C–H bonds, such as those at benzylic positions. Therefore, the development of catalytic systems that enable the exclusive regio- and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds in the presence of more reactive sites would represent a groundbreaking advancement in organic synthesis.  The Rhod-to-N project (intermolecular enantioselective amination of unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds) aims to push these boundaries by discovering efficient enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed methods for the transformation of aryl alkanes into β-arylethylamines and α-methylamines, which serve as privileged chiral building blocks for the development of novel life-saving medicines. To achieve this ambitious goal the project will focus on accomplishing the following objectives:  1) Development of the intermolecular enantioselective amination of homobenzylic sites. 2) Intermolecular enantioselective amination of terminal methylenes. 3) Continuous flow applications employing reusable catalytic columns.  The successful completion of this project will contribute to the innovative valorization of low-cost aryl alkanes, yielding significant scientific, societal, and economic impacts, and bolstering European competitiveness in the sustainable production of fine chemicals. Additionally, the project will offer substantial growth opportunities to the researcher through high-value scientific and complementary training.

Mots clés : c h functionalization amination nitrenes flow chemistry c n bond rhodium catalysis chirality

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

This project proposes the development of an innovative electron spectrometer to pioneer Ion-ion COllisioN Electron Spectroscopy (ICONES). Traditionally, electron spectroscopy has provided critical insights into ion-atom/molecule collisions, offering an in-depth understanding of various quantum processes such as electron capture, ionization, and excitation. However, its application to ion-ion collisions, where both collision partners are ions, is a new frontier. This research represents a significant leap beyond the current state-of-the-art, extending the use of electron spectroscopy in ion-ion collisions. The project methodology includes simulations using SIMION, assembling a portable setup with integrated electronics and data acquisition system for independent testing, and conducting proof-of-principle tests under realistic experimental conditions. ICONES will be finally integrated in the FISIC platform, which is currently being tested at the Institute of NanoSciences of Paris (INSP), CNRS. FISIC is designed to study ion-ion collisions into the hitherto unexplored intermediate energy regime, where energy deposition reaches its maximum. By leveraging recent advancements in accelerator-based technology, this project aims to open new experimental pathways, providing benchmark data for theoretical models and significantly expanding our knowledge of the complex quantum dynamics of N-body systems, thus offering detailed insights into electron correlations, the roles of screening and anti-screening in multiple mechanisms as well as multi-electron processes. The knowledge gained from this project will have broad implications across multiple fields, including astrophysics, fusion research, and ion-beam cancer therapy. Additionally, the project’s outcomes are expected to drive technological innovation by developing new spectrometers capable of high-precision measurements under extremely low-rate conditions, thus setting new standards in atomic physics research.

Mots clés : ion ion collisions, electron spectroscopy, quantum dynamics, n body systems, simion

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

Converting high energy consuming reaction techniques to energy efficient methods is probably the main interest of modern society, not only for economic reasons but also to avoid extended green-house gas release. In this context, light-driven methods such as photocatalysis is very interesting when compared to the conventional catalytic methods which require heating and/or high pressures. Photopolymerization is an environmentally friendly technique to produce polymers since it is a light-driven process, which even can be conducted under natural sunlight. Photoinitiators are one of the essential components of the photopolymerization. Traditionally, these compounds are introduced to reaction mixture alongside with the monomers homogeneously, which makes it very hard to remove and reuse them. That being said, there are examples of macrophotoinitiators (MPIs), which kick-starts the photopolymerization reactions heterogeneously. However, such compounds are not systematically investigated, therefore, comprehensive studies covering syntheses of electronically adjusted MPIs to be facilitated in broad range of photopolymerization reactions from small- to big-scale are needed. In this proposal (MacroPiN), we aim to conduct various photopolymerizations by using tailor-made MPI out of porous organic polymers, which offers high accessible surface areas and advanced photophysical features along their high-dimensional and hydrothermally stable backbones. In following, increasing the hydrophilicity of the produced MPIs to further utilize them in aqueous media (i.e. to investigate them in relatively more environmentally friendly conditions) will be an interest. Finally, aside performing photopolymerizations in batch, continuous flow reactors will be used to scale-up the photopolymerization products in a semi-autonomous and more “user-friendly” way. Therefore, the proposed research aligns very well with the “climate” and “zero pollution” ambitions of European Green Deal.

Mots clés : porous polymers, photopolymerization, covalent organic frameworks, porous organic polymers

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet STAND UP (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Age-related bone loss in humans is widely documented and linked to the process of skeletal gracilization, evolved over the last 10 kyrs. One explanation for the human susceptibility to bone loss during ageing is that osteoporosis is an unintended consequence of otherwise advantageous evolutionary adaptations. However, the deeper evolutionary roots and potential epigenetic changes that underlie the biological mechanism of age-related bone loss in humans compared to other hominids are still not understood. Osteoporosis is indeed a global health issue affecting millions of people worldwide with greater prevalence in post-menopausal women. Despite the clinical and biosocial implications of the disease that particularly impact public health issues related to women’s lives, an understanding of the evolutionary roots of osteoporosis is conspicuously lacking. STAND UP aims to fill this gap by identifying and quantifying patterns of age-related bone loss across the skeleton in humans and a comparative sample of our closest relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, and identifying its epigenetic correlates across taxa. This project will take a novel, comparative and interdisciplinary approach by combining (1) a holistic investigation of the skeletal changes in internal and external bone morphology across the skeleton in unique skeletal samples of humans, chimpanzees and gorillas that each come with critical, individualized demographic and behaviour data, and (2) a comparative molecular analysis of epigenetic bio-markers that underpin patterns of skeletal aging. Ultimately, STAND UP will combine functional morphology of the skeleton, molecular biology and evolutionary anthropology, together with expertise in clinical medicine, to clarify how and why bone structure changes through adult age, particularly in females, in hominids. This project offers an understanding of genotypic-phenotypic underpinnings of osteoporosis in human evolution with far-reaching biological implications.

Mots clés : human evolution evolutionary anthropology skeletal genomics functional morphology

Participants :
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 401232.0 €
- Dian fossey gorilla fund international inc (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet EPIC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

DNA methylation plays fundamental roles in gene regulation and cell identity in plants and animals. However, these two kingdoms exhibit distinct methylation patterns and reprogramming of methylation during development occurs in different ways. I have exciting evidence from the emerging model plant system Marchantia polymorpha of de novo DNA methylation at thousands of genes in the embryo that is analogous to gene methylation established in the oocyte of mammals. A subset of these genes are also methylated in the Marchantia male sex organ prior to fertilisation and are enriched for roles in hormone signalling, epigenetics, and developmental transitions, indicating parental imprinting events important for embryo development. I propose to conduct a targeted dissection of this phenomenon. I will be hosted first by Prof. Ecker (Salk Institute, US), who is a world leader in single cell epigenomics. I will carry out high-throughput single cell methylomics and transcriptomics in combination with other cutting-edge molecular techniques to precisely determine the developmental processes undergoing gene methylation reprogramming as well as the underlying epigenetic players involved. In the return phase, I will be hosted by Prof. Solano (Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Spain) who is an expert in motif analysis and Marchantia hormone biology. With his expertise I will investigate the methylation targeting mechanism and will utilise methylation loss lines to confirm the role of gene methylation in transcriptional regulation as well as development, with a focus on ethylene signalling. This proposal represents a state-of-the-art class of study of DNA methylation through which I will broaden my scientific knowledge, develop complementary skills such as lab management and science outreach, and extend my professional network internationally. The experiences gained during this Fellowship will be essential to achieve my goal of leading a research group at the forefront of epigenetics.

Mots clés : dna methylation, meristem, zygote, fertilisation, imprinting, single cell analysis

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 261380.64 €
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €