Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet NanoFUNC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Nanotechnologies have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of devastating diseases such as cancer or neuropathologies. By combining light-emitting nanoparticles (NPs) and super-resolution imaging, it is possible to observe living tissues at the molecular scale, resulting in images of unprecedented detail. To this aim, the ideal NP should be bright, stable, small, spectrally relevant, versatile, targetable, and non-toxic. These features have been sought after by chemists, physicists and biologists alike for more than a decade but their presence in a single NP has not been achieved to date. The objective of the NanoFUNC project is thus to develop the next generation of NPs displaying all the above properties. We propose to achieve this by conferring targeting properties to the latest all organic NPs of the host laboratory already displaying promising spectral characteristics. We will first validate the functionalisation of these new tools on model cellular systems before applying them to track neurotransmitter receptors deep in intact brain slices of healthy and schizophrenia rat models. We expect this project to impact all communities benefiting from advances in bioimaging including neuroscience, medicine and cell biology as a whole. We thus envisage to patent the obtained NPs for use in marketable bioimaging applications. The transfer of knowledge between the expertise of the host in nanochemistry and that of the experienced researcher in neurobiology provides a unique opportunity to successfully complete this highly interdisciplinary project. Moreover, the mobility of the researcher back to France in an internationally renowned laboratory is sure to enhance her career prospects as she aims to become an independent researcher in the near future. Together, the host and the researcher will strive for excellent scientific results and build a career plan involving training, management and communication to bring the researcher to full professional maturity.

Mots clés : single particle tracking

Participants :
- Université de Bordeaux (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet MixUQ (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Natural and engineered porous systems exhibit heterogeneity across several spatial scales leading to complex flow fields with strong fluctuations. The latter enhance the segregation and distortion of a transported scalar mixture, while diffusion promotes the local homogenization of it. In this context, spreading has been traditionally identified with the overall growth of the dissolved plume while mixing with the internal plume homogenization. Accurate quantification of mixing in heterogeneous media is one of the most relevant and still open challenges. Our current failure lay in the inability of capturing the interplay between flow fluctuations and local diffusion: the former promotes both the internal plume segregation (at early times, dominance of pure advection) and the subsequent homogenization (at late times; dominance of dispersion) by the sampling of flow fluctuations which trigger the internal folding and distortion of the plume enabling local homogenization by diffusion (coalescence mechanism). We here propose to predict mixing within a unified framework (Work package 1) which leverage on the Lamellar description of transport and capture the early (segregation) and late (coalescence) time impact of fluctuations by viewing spreading as a sub-plume scale process: the dispersion and interactions of Lamellae are captured through a continuous time random walk (CTRW) approach. At the same time, uncertainty about concentration distribution is a dynamic quantity ruled by the same physical mechanisms: plume segregation (uncertainty production) and homogenization (uncertainty reduction). We here take advantage of the insight from the novel transport model to close evolution equations (e.g., for the variance and the probability density function) apt to describe the dynamic uncertainty (Work package 2). We then explore the establishment of ergodicity for mixing under a variety of conditions (e.g., degree of heterogeneity, strength of diffusion and advection)

Mots clés : mixing   spreading   uncertainty quantification   heterogeneity   porous media, stochastic modeling  lamellar mixing, non fickian transport, continuous time random walk, ergodicity

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet AQUEA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Natural archives such as travertine, speleothems and tree-rings are used to understand past environmental changes and to predict effects of future changes. However, such archives lack a direct link with civilization centres where changes in socio-economy and urbanization, particularly in respond to extreme natural events, can be investigated. New archives are needed near ancient urban centres, especially for the Mediterranean with the threat of droughts and desertification. AQUEA presents calcium carbonate deposits from Roman aqueducts as a new high-resolution archive to obtain both environmental and archaeological data for the Mediterranean in the Roman period. AQUEA will be hosted at Oxford University at two departments: the School of Archaeology and Earth Sciences. AQUEA will use samples of carbonate from three aqueduct sites in Southern France; Nîmes, Arles and Bellegarde, to study palaeoenvironmental changes besides local water management, urbanization and economy during the Imperial Roman period: this requires interdisciplinary collaboration of archaeologists and natural scientists. Therefore, the ER will be supervised by specialists in Roman archaeology, particularly on water management and Roman economy, and in palaeoenvironmental proxy analysis. Archaeological investigations include: interpretation of water structures and their context; use of textual sources on ancient environment, economy and water management; the use of archaeological databases, notably on Roman economy; and the relation of carbonate formation to various structural elements. Research in aqueduct carbonates will apply existing techniques and novel approaches such as Calcium isotopes and use of the CaveCalc numerical forward-modelling program, to better interpret analytical results in terms of ancient environment and Roman land use. AQUEA will address questions on a local scale on changing Roman climate, its implications on Roman economy, urban development and societal changes.

Mots clés : roman urbanization, roman cities, ancient water management, roman economy, archaeology, climate change, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, carbonate geochemistry

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet GloRI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Natural to built environment, mineral resources to high-performance materials: Transformations of matter shape life. Socio-technical imaginaries direct these transformations: they inform and shape trajectories of research and innovation (R&I). Research on imaginaries to support socio-economic system transformations towards sustainable mineral uses is timely and important: The conversion of natural resources into commodities originates in imaginaries that need unpacking to address them with next generations in the context of enabling resource efficiency and sustainable raw material uses. This is the aim of this interdisciplinary project: Funded research projects with innovation goals will be examined by conceptualizing a Global Value Chain (GVC) of R&I drawing on GVC literature, the Science and Technology Studies (STS) concept of socio-technical imaginaries and the Innovation Studies (IS) concept of global pipelines. The specific objectives are (O1a) to conceptualize the GVC of R&I, (O1b) to map decision-making on research design, and (O1c) to explore imaginaries in decision-making on research design, to then demonstrate (O2a) how imaginaries operate, i.e. with which power in GVC governance, and with which outcome on (O2b) innovations and (O2c) mineral-based material uses. The research methodology uses a GVC framework and addresses state-of-the-art GVC research moving beyond static units of analysis by examining linkages among GVC participants, and exploring power in GVC governance. Empirically, decision-making in designing research will be traced in reverse chronological order: from project implementation to the original project idea. This will provide data on power in governance structures. With this knowledge, the EC Ecodesign Directive extension can be informed and the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) indicator on governance can be adapted for future research design-related decision-making. These are central concerns in my research and career plan.

Mots clés : system transformation, global value chains  gvc, power in gvc governance, sociotechnical imaginaries, research practices, innovation, sustainable mineral material uses

Participants :
- University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 279250.56 €
Projet iSPY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Nature is by far the most versatile chemist and modern research efforts have harnessed the power of Nature by using biomolecules such as proteins as building blocks or targets for various technological applications. In many cases the immobilization of a protein in a synthetic matrix is essential. In particular protein-porous material hybrids have received much attention but their preparation have been non-trivial, often limited by the size compatibility between the pore and the protein and the surface properties. The quest for a suitable protein-matrix combination not only requires extensive synthetic optimization, but also the development of appropriate methodologies that can be used to determine the effect of the matrix on the structure and stability of the protein. In this multidisciplinary action, the stabilities, structures and dynamics of heme proteins (globins) immobilized in mesoporous silica or titania will be studied by EPR. This class of hybrid materials are themselves also of great interest because of potential electrochemical biosensing and biocatalysis applications. Novel orthogonally spin-labeled globins will be prepared and incorporated into (modified) mesoporous silica and titania. Pulse dipolar spectroscopy will be used to measure nanometric distance constraints within the free and immobilized globins. Combined with computational models, these measurements will provide unique insights into effects of incorporation on the tertiary structures and conformational flexibilities of the proteins. This action will not only result in the development of a generic analytical toolbox, based on spin-label EPR, for the characterization of proteins immobilized in matrices, but also lead to advances in the understanding and preparation of protein-porous material hybrids.

Mots clés : electron paramagetic resonance

Participants :
- University of Antwerp (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160800.0 €
Projet Nature-In (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Nature-In is an interdisciplinary research project that will unfold and analyse the underlying forms of knowledge behind exemplary postwar-Danish and traditional-Japanese buildings which stand out for their interior space connection to Nature, which remains unexplored, to inform us of a sustainable contemporary interior design practice. To maximize the contact with Nature in the health and wellbeing promotion of populations, design strategies are urgently needed. Despite the increasing interest in this global concern, there exists limited knowledge and research into “how to integrate Nature with our dwellings’ interior space”. There is a lack of architectural small-scale solutions for achieving this and also limited research into the ways these solutions can enable their integration. To bridge these gaps, I will conduct a case-study analysis to present the first synthetic overview, revealing what devices are used in these case-studies to link their interior space with the surrounding nature. With the involvement of a network of international experts, a methodology that links architectural research and practice, and a link to my own practice, I will provide a catalogue of potential sustainable practical devices and recommendations for integrating architectural devices of the buildings studied and I will influence researchers, design practitioners, policy-makers and society in building practice. The main aim is to effectively enhance the health and wellbeing of communities through daily interaction with Nature in urban areas of the future, an urgent challenge at EU and Global level. Nature-In is very original and innovative in terms of objectives, how it is conceived and how it will be conducted. It will open a new research branch of Architectural Design and a new phase in the Biophilic Design’s implementation for the built environment. Moreover, it will make an important contribution to the EU-knowledge base on Nature-Based Solutions, a significant step for the EU.

Mots clés : building, architecture, architectural design, interior design, design, nature, housing, sustainability, nature based solution, biophilic design, eco design, landscape, health, denmark, europe, japan

Participants :
- Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 310968.0 €
Projet LUNA 2016 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : European Researchers' Night
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Neither the promotion of science and research nor innovation are a priority in South Tyrol, a land of around 500,000 inhabitants. Traditions are agriculture, skilled crafts and trades. Only 0.7% of South Tyrol’s gross domestic product is spent on research and development, compared with 1.26% in the whole of Italy and 1.63% within the EU. (Source: Istat 2015, OECD 2015). Those committed to promoting research in the region try to engage both politicians and the general public by means of a wide variety of activities. One particularly important crowd puller is the biennial ‘Long Night of Research’ (Lunga notte della ricerca – Lange Nacht der Forschung) in Bozen-Bolzano. The EURAC – unibz – TIS consortium together with other partners will be opening their doors for the fifth time on September 30th, 2016, allowing visitors the opportunity to have a proper look at the work of the scientists, to enter into discussions and conduct experiments with them, to be amazed and to have fun. The three main venues for events in Bozen-Bolzano will as before be linked by a free shuttle bus service which will also serve the locations of up to 8 further events partners. The Awareness Campaign will target around 300,000 persons. The ever growing visitor numbers of the previous events (in 2014 the record number of almost 16,000 visitors was reached!) suggests that we should expect around 15,000 interested individuals keen on joining us. This year’s theme is “The Big Picture”, and from 17:00 onwards, young and old will be able to see for themselves that South Tyrol’s researchers play their part in contributing important pieces to the jigsaw puzzle which will enable them to anticipate or to influence future developments in the big picture that is Science. Interactive stands, competitions, games, shows and discussions in a relaxed atmosphere will offer something for everyone, and above all provide personal contact with around 300 scientists and technicians.

Mots clés : luna, bozen bolzano, south tyrol, biennial, the big picture, discussions, experiments, lectures, interactive demonstrations, amazing, free shuttle service

Participants :
- Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 18210.94 €
- Idm suedtirol - alto adige (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 18210.94 €
- European Academy of Bolzano (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 36421.88 €
Projet CORRELATION (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Network slicing is a key enabling technology for the 5th generation (5G) and beyond mobile networks. Network slicing allows the creation of multiple logical network instances on the same underlying physical network. Slices can then be formed or combined on-demand, with parameters optimized according to various service requirements so as to meet the users’ instant requests for specific mobile services. Hence, the performance of network slicing heavily depends on characterizing and predicting the spatial- temporal traffic patterns for individual services in near real-time. Research on characterization and prediction for service-level mobile traffic is still in nascence. Firstly, the traffic characteristics and predicting methods of individual services, especially the 5G services, have not been studied adequately. Secondly, traffic correlation among different services and the reasons behind it have not been well studied. Thirdly, inter-service correlations have not been well exploited in service-level mobile traffic prediction. In this project, we will address these gaps. Firstly, we will study the spatial-temporal characteristics of service-level traffic patterns at multi-scales, based on which, we will investigate the traffic predicting frameworks for individual services. Secondly, for the first time, we will investigate the traffic correlation among different services and try to discover the underlying reasons by analyzing the service usage profiles of different user groups. Finally, based on inter-service correlations, we will investigate whether we can improve service-level traffic prediction accuracy and whether we could execute prediction for diverse services according to the historical records of only a few key services. The success of the CORRELATION project will make proactive network slicing possible, which will then drive proactive network optimisation for 5G and beyond mobile networks.

Mots clés : traffic characterization and prediction, sliced mobile network, big data analysis, machine learning

Participants :
- Ranplan wireless network design ltd (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet 3DPLASTICITY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Neurons in the cortex generate sensory perceptions by extracting certain features from the environment and combining them with internally generated information. A better understanding of how neurons perform these computations will deepen our understanding of normal brain function and potentially identify novel therapies for mental conditions that perturb sensory perception such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. Neuronal computations occur at thousands of synapses across three dimensionally complex dendritic trees. In the cortex, dendritic integration takes place in the context of ongoing network activity, and recent work indicates that network activity profoundly alters how neurons compute sensory information. Yet, most of our current knowledge of how dendrites process synaptic inputs has been derived under non-physiological conditions, resulting in a poor understanding of network behavior in the living brain. An equally important property of cortical microcircuits is that they are endowed with a plethora of plasticity mechanisms that enable flexible adaptions to the environment. The role of synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses is established for such adaptations. How inhibitory plasticity shapes dendritic integration and sensory processing remains largely unexplored. The purpose of my Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship is to elucidate how synaptic plasticity operates within active neuronal networks and how plasticity influences cortical computations within morphologically complex dendritic trees. To address these knowledge gaps, I will combine my expertise in synaptic plasticity, electrophysiology, and pharmacology with cutting-edge techniques I will learn under the mentorship of Professor Angus Silver including 3D imaging, optogenetic applications, and biologically detailed computer modelling. This cutting-edge training-through-research program is expected to transform our understanding of how single neurons compute sensory information.

Mots clés : plasticity, dendritic integration, network activity, microcircuits, visual cortex, 3d imaging

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

Neuropsychiatric disorders and neurological diseases have a devastating impact on patients’ lives and represent a heavy social and economic load for global societies. Despite the great social and economic importance, the complex symptomatology together with the lack of objective analysis methodology and the limitation of current biological models have made disorders difficult to classify and study. The recent development of brain organoids derived from human stem cells have enormous potential as a physiologically accurate downscaled in vitro model of the human brain. Even though this system offers promising approach for investigating the phenotypic foundation of these complex disorders, the lack of a reliable and non-disruptive system for investigating their properties limits their applicability in both basic research and pharmaceutical testing. The BRAINtSERS project aims to respond to this need combining advanced brain organoid models together with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), providing a multidimensional dataset of a developing human neuronal tissue resolved both in time and space. In detail, the action will provide: (i) a label-free, highly sensitive technique for quantification and detection of biomolecules in brain organoids, (ii) a minimally-invasive system for cellular phenotyping, thus a non-destructive method for characterization of brain organoids during all developmental stages. Complementarily, the ER will deliver (iii) SERS-active bio-mimetic devices conceived for integration with organoid model and its genesis.

Mots clés : spectroscopy, sers, brain organoids

Participants :
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 175255.68 €