Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet INBETWEEN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

INBETWEEN is a theory-driven, comparative archaeological reassessment of the Middle Nubian cultures (C-Group, Pan-Grave, and Kerma) during the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt and Nubia (c. 1750-1500 BC). The project operates in the liminal spaces between the groups to re-evaluate their relationships with one another, asking how they are the same, how they are different, and if imposed modern cultural divisions are valid. Material culture takes the focus, and an analysis of the relevant chaînes opératoires using cultural phylogeny, entanglement, and border theory will identify shared or differing technological heritages that may reflect corresponding cultural relationships. The project challenges modern constructs of the Middle Nubian cultures as bounded cultural entities: how did the ancient Nubians perceive their own cultural boundaries? how fluid were they? A deep theoretical investigation of the processes driving cultural change will address questions of how and why cultural components crossed boundaries in certain situations, and what impact this had upon each group’s identity. INBETWEEN will be the broadest and most up-to-date survey of Middle Nubian material culture available. The acquisition of new skills via training in XRF-spectroscopy and RTI photography to analyse raw materials and technological processes will yield concrete evidence to support the outcomes. Research collaborations exploring the application of archaeological and anthropological theory will further expand my skillset in new directions, building my European network. The theoretical framework makes the project relevant to multiple disciplines, and the resulting monograph and publications will serve as a methodological case study for archaeologists and anthropologists alike. By examining the Middle Nubian cultures in their own right, the project breaks down the boundary between Egyptology and African studies, resituating the Middle Nubians into their broader northeast African context.

Mots clés : nubian archaeology, african archaeology, middle nubian cultures, second intermediate period, material culture, border theory, cultural phylogeny

Participants :
- Austrian Academy of Sciences (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet INREPOSA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

INREPOSA combines Cultural and Indigenous studies to study the shifting terrains of research relating to the Sami in Finland. Western scientific interest on the Sámi - the Indigenous People in Northern Europe - has a long and rich (colonial) history, but the emergence of "Sámi research" as an academic field of its own is usually associated with Sámi demands for Indigenous and academic decolonisation. To date, this field has become highly institutionalised across the Nordic states, but at the same time also the hopes, desires and political, economic and cultural interests that are projected on it have been multiplied, in tandem with the Arctic region's growing importance in the eyes of European states, and due to the general revival of Indigenous cultures and identities. The project aims to examine how this conjuncture of institutionalisation and neo-politicisation is shaping the relationships between Sami politics, research and the state, and what are its consequences for research-based policy-making, as well as for Sami research as a critical discipline committed to Indigenous decolonisation. The project is grounded on conjunctural analysis associated with the work of Stuart Hall. In addition, it will test the relevance of Settler Colonial Theory for understanding the Finnish state's policies in the Sami region. The research materials include relevant literatures and research texts, policy documents and statements issued by the Finnish government, Sami political institutions and organisation and other stake-holders, and other textual materials. This material is analysed interpretatively using critical discourse analysis and ethnographic methods. The project is conducted as part of the international research group "Social Dimensions of Sami Research" at the Tromso University Museum, and its main publication outcome is a single-authored original research monograph.

Mots clés : arctic societies, decolonization, conjunctural analysis, critical discourse analysis, cultural studies, indigenous research, knowledge based policy making, politics, settler colonial theory

Participants :
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214158.72 €
Projet BRAINY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Organism behaviour represents the key link between the morphology of a species and its ecological role (i.e. niche) within a community. Classic examples of species developing novel feeding behaviours to utilize previously unexploited niches (e.g. the use of sticks by Darwin’s ‘woodpecker’ finch on the Galapagos islands) suggest that variation in behavioural flexibility—and underlying differences in intelligence—may be an important diver of variation in rates of niche evolution and thus species diversification. However, because information on both species ecological niches and intelligence are generally lacking, the role of behavioural flexibility in structuring biodiversity remains unclear. Here I will use new global datasets on both brain size and foraging behaviour, available for 1000’s of avian species, alongside state of the art phylogenetic methods, to explore the role of behavioural flexibility in the generation and maintenance of species diversity. The analysis will establish the influence of intelligence on the link between morphology and the ecological niche and examine how differences in cognition impact different stages in the speciation cycle, from initiating population divergence, to driving morphological evolution, and finally in the attainment of coexistence and the completion of speciation. Through this I will develop an integrated understanding of the role of behavioural flexibility in the driving the spectacular radiation of life.

Mots clés : ecological niche, foraging behaviour, morphology, intelligence, speciation, extinction, diversification

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet DIBOR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Organoboron complexes are ubiquitous in synthesis due to their utility in functional group transformations and the Nobel Prize winning Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. Furthermore, the advent of frustrated Lewis pair chemistry and BB multiple bonds has demonstrated that organoboron compounds can activate small molecules (e.g., CO) and sigma bonds (including H2), reactivity previously thought to be the domain of transition metal catalysts. As part of the renaissance in organoboron chemistry diborane(4) compounds (R2B-BR2) have received considerable interest, particularly that react as boryl anion equivalents. Recent unpublished work at UNIMAN has developed an efficient, scalable route to a synthetically useful unsymmetric diborane(4) compound, specifically (RO)2B-BCl2(NHC), (1, NHC = N-heterocyclic Carbene). The DIBOR project will exploit this breakthrough using 1 (and new congeners synthesised in this fellowship) as key precursors to; (i) readily synthesised cationic diboranes that are strong electrophiles able to activate small molecules and sigma bonds (C-H) and to diborylate pi nucleophiles; (ii) extended homocatenated boron compounds containing both electron precise B-B and B=B bonds. Advances in (i) will generate new transition metal free routes to diborylated hydrocarbons for use as synthetic intermediates. Whilst the demonstration of H-H and C-H activation will demonstrate that individual steps are viable for future application using diboranes in catalytic sigma bond transformations. Advances in (ii) will generate fundamentally new boron entities, e.g., electron precise B4 chains containing B-B and B=B bonds. The chemistry of electron precise boranes is in its infancy but dramatic differences in reactivity to the isoelectronic hydrocarbons have already been reported. Precursor 1 is carefully designed to prevent borane cluster formation on reductive coupling thus facilitate formation of homo-catenated chains.

Mots clés : boron, borylation, diborane

Participants :
- University of Manchester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet ROCHESTER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Osteoporosis weakens bones and increases the risk of unexpected fractures. Worldwide, it causes over 8.9M fractures annually. Cortical bone consists of 3 major parts; minerals, organic matrix and water. Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is the most widespread marker to assess bone quality. There is recent evidence, however, that bone mineralisation offers only an incomplete view of bone quality. In turn, bone water (including free and bound water molecules) does convey richer information about bone quality by probing both bone porosity and the organic matrix. We propose to develop a novel diagnostic imaging technique based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that offers a comprehensive assessment of cortical bone quality and osteoporosis. The quantification of free and bound water molecules in cortical bone will be done in vivo as their alternation are potential biomarkers of the cortical bone quality. We will use hybrid hard-tissue MRI to capture information from short transverse-relaxation time (T2) species. We will develop MRI strategies that will go beyond the state-of-the-art in imaging bone tissue (herein referred to as “hard-tissue MRI” employing novel pulse sequences from the ultra-short echo-time (UTE) family. A key novelty lies in the hybridisation of UTE/short echo time (STE) acquisitions. By solving a set of coupled equations derived from these acquisitions using machine-learning techniques, we will define new quantitative imaging biomarkers associated with cortical bone free and bound water concentrations. The biomarkers will improve diagnosis of osteoporosis and alleviate its burden on healthcare systems (€37Bn cost to EU in 2010). It offers further potential in assessing bone development in pediatric imaging where ionizing and invasive methods cannot be employed. The project brings together expertise in bone MRI from a senior incoming fellow with the world-class expertise in biomedical image analysis and bone research as well as a pioneer centre in clinical.

Mots clés : magnetic resonance imaging, human cortical bone, osteoproasis, ageing, tissue quantification, image based modeling, t1 map, p map, free and bond water, proton density

Participants :
- University of Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet FORCE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Our ability to feed the world with innovative products depends on new breeding methods and technologies that will require well-trained plant breeders who understand fieldwork, skilled scientist who understand the genetic basis of the traits to improve and data scientist to help geneticist and breeders to make more informed material selections. Flowering time is the major domestication trait defining the adaptation of chickpea to different agro-climatic conditions, and therefore is a major determinant of its productivity. Understanding how individual genetic variants combine to provide adaptation in specific situations is fundamental to accelerating introgression of new traits into adapted backgrounds. Today a number of genomic resources developed in the past for model plant systems are available for agronomically important crops. In FLOWERINGCHICKPEA we will dissect the molecular basis controlling flowering time. The specific objectives of the project involve: a) characterizing a comprehensive inventory of genes controlling flowering time; b) constructing the highest-density genetic map available using large-scale mapping populations through a novel genotyping by sequencing strategy; and c) addressing differential expression profiles for the candidate genes. This will be achieved by adopting an integrative approach that combines state-of-the-art technologies in next-generation sequencing, computational plant biology and diverse genetic resources exhibiting a wide range of phenotypic diversity for flowering time. This will allow us the construction of high- density integrated physical and genetic linkage maps, and eventually the assessment of colocalization between flowering time loci/QTL and flowering time genes. Results will be an important resource for geneticists currently investigating legume phenology around the globe. Moreover, the project could have useful applications in agriculture.

Mots clés : chickpea, plant breeding

Participants :
- University of Córdoba (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet BIF-PROTECTS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Our bodies are home to a staggering collection of microbes with the human gut contains up to 2 kilograms of microbial mass. In healthy individuals the interplay between the immune system and the microbiota prevents tissue damaging inflammatory responses to commensal species of bacteria while permitting immune responses against infectious microbes. Changes in the gut microbiome have been linked to perturbation of immune function and several inflammatory gut disorders. Conversely, commensal microorganisms with purported health promoting effects (probiotics) have been implicated as potential therapeutics for several ailments with over 1,300 registered clinical trials using probiotics. Bifidobacteria, a Gram-positive commensal accounts for 475 of these trials. Bifidobacteria colonise the gastrointestinal tract immediately after birth and affect the maturation of the host’s immune system. Despite the impact of microbes on our health and the large number of clinical trials underway, our current knowledge of the impact of the microbiota, including probiotics, on health is based almost exclusively on descriptive and correlative studies with a need for studies focused on causality and mechanism. The central goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which Bifidobacterium breve induces an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial state in host immune cells and to determine if this can be replicated using a synthetic biology approach. The ability of a range of commensals to elicit immune modulatory responses will also be studied to identify shared mechanisms of host-microbe dialogue across bacterial species. A thorough understanding of host-microbe interactions that lead to a tolerogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial phenotype will aid in the development of novel microbiome-based treatments while the ability to replicate these effects using synthetic biology will establish a basis for novel immune based therapies.

Mots clés : microbiome, bifidobacteria

Participants :
- National University of Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196590.72 €
Projet HSPACE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Our information society relies to an unprecedented extent on broadband communication solutions such as high-speed Internet access, mobile voice and data services, multimedia broadcast systems, etc. In order to fulfil the steadily growing volume and bandwidth demand of those data services while simultaneously reducing the cost per transported information bit, communication systems have been continuously improved in terms of reach and aggregate transport capacity. However, it is now recognised that communication systems are rapidly approaching the fundamental information capacity of current technology, a trend with potential negative impact on the economy and social progress. HSPACE project targets the development of advanced space division multiplexing (SDM) systems to unlock the capacity of future information systems by enabling the transmission of spatial super-channels over a single fibre. The proposed concept will be implemented using multi-core fibres (MCF) and few-mode fibres (FMFs) as underlying technology platform along with novel digital signal processing (DSP) techniques that minimise the mode/core interference and inter mode/core nonlinearities, keeping the required digital processing at realizable levels. HSPACE offers a continued European leadership in RTD photonics from components to systems, securing the necessary human resources and knowledge to design and produce a new generation of photonic components that support EU’s vision for ubiquitous broadband connectivity to promote European social and economic cohesion and prosperity. The aforementioned challenges require researchers highly trained in a number of relevant disciplines ranging from nonlinear science to high-speed optical communication techniques. This fellowship will provide a gifted early career researcher with the opportunity to train at one of the foremost research centres in optical communication, the Aston Institute of Photonics Technology (AITP).

Mots clés : optical communication systems, space division multiplexing, multi core fibres, few mode fibres, digital signal processing, advanced transmission links

Participants :
- Aston University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet SELAPHOR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Our information society relies to an unprecedented extent on broadband communication technologies with applications such as high-speed internet access, cloud computing, data services, multimedia broadcast systems etc. The amount of data processed by data centers continues to grow with a steep progression. We are unused to considering the energy cost of light communication, but it is huge, matching the airline industry. To meet the need for increased bandwidth, compactness, reduced power consumption and cost effectiveness, we will develop new optical sources with narrow linewidth, high-speed frequency modulation and reduced power consumption that can be utilised in modern optical links. The SELAPHOR project targets (a) the training of a young researcher in the field of photonic devices, optical communications and research commercialisation; (b) the development of novel low cost optical sources to allow both compactness and reduced power consumption of spectrally efficient optical links; and (c) the industrial validation and commercialising of the developed technology. The training programme for the researcher includes new skills in the design and fabrication of single-mode tunable sources with direct frequency modulation, characterisation and optimisation of the laser performance, and implementation of the advanced sources into telecom links. In addition, strong commercialisation and entrepreneurial skills will be developed, with keen interest from the SME partner ensuring focus on an industrial roadmap.

Mots clés : semiconductor lasers, photonic crystals

Participants :
- Munster Technological University (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187866.0 €
Projet TOFU (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Our understanding of all known particles and their interactions is successfully described in the Standard Model (SM). It is, however, known to be incomplete since it does not explain e.g. dark matter, or the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. Recently, several experiments found hints of physics beyond the SM, which must be further investigated. A key assumption of the SM is that leptons (electrons and their heavier siblings, muons and taus) have the exact same couplings to forces, called lepton universality. When testing this assumption using decays of so-called B mesons, three independent experiments found increased values for their decay rate to a D meson and tau lepton, compared to a D meson and a muon. This could be explained by the existence of new particles, such as leptoquarks, which couple more strongly to leptons with a higher mass. This proposal concerns a similar measurement using strange B mesons (Bs), which decay into strange D mesons (Ds). The D mesons that were measured before are extremely difficult to distinguish from their so-called resonance states, which are excitations of the D meson. Misidentifying these could wrongly increase the rate of tau decays of all three experiments. Ds mesons, on the other hand, have a different structure of resonances, and fewer exist that can mimic the signal. Additionally, these can be constrained using their well-defined kinematics. As such, an observation of non-universality in the Bs meson decays would provide conclusive evidence for the existence of physics beyond the SM. In 2021, the LHCb experiment will recommence data-taking with a completely new detector and reconstruction software. Dr. Klaver plays a key role in studying the impact of misaligned or misplaced detectors and detector defects of the upgrade detector. This proposal describes how a validation framework is to be set up to aid the commissioning of the new experiment. This secures future tests of lepton universality with high precision.

Mots clés : b physics, lepton universality, lhcb, semileptonic decays, physics beyond the standard model

Participants :
- Dutch Research Council (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 175572.48 €