Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet MemSusPer (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The World's digital transformation generates vast amounts of data daily. Conventional computing technologies face serious challenges in efficiently handling all this information, leading to high energy consumption. Neuromorphic computing offers a more efficient solution by designing systems inspired by the structure and function of the human brain, which processes information in parallel with minimal energy consumption. A key component in this technology is the memristor, a novel electronic element that mimics the synapses and spiking processes of neurons. The memristors containing lead-based halide perovskites (Pb-HPs) are among the best-performing, but the presence of toxic Pb hinders their practical application. MemSusPer aims to develop sustainable, Pb-free HP memristor devices with high performance, stability, reproducibility, and low energy consumption. This will be achieved through two main strategies: (1) enhancing the quality of the perovskite films, and (2) using novel buffer layer materials, such as organic mixed ionic electronic conductors, to regulate the ions migration and induce new energy-efficient activation/deactivation mechanisms. I will conduct the research at the Institute of Advanced Materials (University Jaume I, Spain) with the guidance of Prof. Antonio Guerrero, a leading expert in the field. To validate the developed technology, a 4x4 memristor array will be fabricated using the advanced infrastructure of the Institute of Emerging Technologies (Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece). MemSusPer is committed to advancing next-generation neuromorphic computing, which is not only high-performing but also eco-friendly, contributing to the green and digital transitions prioritised in the European Union's agenda. The multidisciplinarity and high impact of MemSusPer, combined with the training component of the MSCA-PF, will help me become a tenured independent researcher, expand my expertise, and strengthen my academic profile and networks.

Mots clés : lead free halide perovskite, memristors, neuromorphic computing, omiecs, buffer layers, in memory applications, artificial synapse, resistive switching

Participants :
- Université méditerranéenne hellénique (Grèce) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Jacques Ier (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet SynCell (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

SynCell aims to develop multicatalytic systems capable of performing multiple synthetic steps in sequence and under controlled conditions within a single process, reducing the need for external intervention and lowering environmental impact. Its primary objective is to emulate nature's ability to regulate macroscopic functions, by creating a "one-pot" method for synthesizing 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from inexpensive and widely available sugars and polysaccharides. To achieve this, SynCell integrates various design principles into a unified system, utilizing Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as key components. MOFs provide distinct advantages, including high structural regularity, adjustable pore sizes, and uniform metal distribution. These features allow MOFs to act as multifunctional scaffolds, creating spatially distinct catalytic zones that enable complex, sequential reactions through compartmentalized catalytic sites. Additionally, Ionic Liquids (ILs) or Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) can be employed as alternative media for effectively dissolving glucose (Glc) and polysaccharides. These solvents not only improve dissolution but also boost catalyst performance, creating a more efficient reaction environment. The combined use of multicatalytic MOFs with ILs or DES will result in a novel, environmentally friendly process for producing FDCA. This process, inspired by biological systems, enables the transformation of cheap, readily available sugars or polysaccharides without the need for intermediate purification or isolation.

Mots clés : biorefinery 2, 5 furandicarboxylic acid metal organic frameworks

Participants :
- Université de Murcie (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Jacques Ier (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet IMOCAT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline porous materials composed of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. The atomically precise structures of most MOFs offer the opportunity to use them as catalysts that can be fine-tuned for a specific chemical transformation. However, the primary challenge is their near-infinite combinatorial design space resulting from the large variety of possible building blocks and the diverse ways they can be assembled. This complexity makes it extremely difficult to identify a MOF catalyst tailored to a given application. Computational modeling has emerged as a key tool to sort out this myriad of possibilities and guide experimental efforts. However, straightforward computational screening approaches, the most widely used strategy thus far, often prove impractical for exploring the vast combinatorial space of MOF catalysts. To address this challenge, the research project IMOCAT will devise a protocol to efficiently search the massive chemical space of possible MOFs which will enable the inverse design of new and better catalysts for selective ethylene oligomerization, an important reaction in the petrochemical industry. To this end, cutting-edge computational tools will be integrated with a genetic algorithm that allows for simultaneous optimization of MOF building blocks to achieve the desired activity-selectivity tradeoff. The overarching goal of the IMOCAT project is to derive pragmatic and experimentally relevant catalyst design principles by analyzing the lead MOF candidates. These principles will then guide experimental researchers in synthesizing MOF catalysts with improved performance for selective ethylene oligomerization.

Mots clés : metal organic frameworks, computational catalysis, inverse catalyst design, genetic optimization of catalysts, ethylene oligomerization

Participants :
- Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technologique de Dresde (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217965.12 €
Projet Q-JEPS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Quantum computing has emerged as a new method to simulate many-body quantum systems, especially in nuclear and high energy physics. The goal of this proposal is to develop the first quantum computing framework for multi-particle jet evolution using the light-front Hamiltonian approach and parton structure functions related to core high energy experiments using available noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers. The fruition of this 24-month project will provide an alternative “quantum” perspective to jet physics, which complements current classical models. By using qubit, a two-level quantum state, quantum simulation triumphs over its classical counterpart by taking asymptotically fewer computational resources, especially when quantum processors become available in the next few years. To this end, I propose to spend the first 16 months at my main host, the Galician Institute of High Energy Physics (IGFAE) of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), under supervisor Professor Carlos Salgado on jet physics and quantum simulations. Here, I will develop an efficient Hamiltonian and state encoding scheme for the quantum simulation of composite jets in a dense background field to extract useful observables such as the jet quenching parameter. In the next 4 months, I will work at the second host, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), with supervisor Professor Zhongbo Kang on parton structure functions. I will study different quantum algorithms, especially quantum imaginary time evolution, to obtain various parton structure functions with quantum computing. In the final 4 months, I will return to USC to build and publish the first open-source quantum simulation software in high energy physics for jet evolution and parton structure calculations. My project will answer some of the most challenging research questions in jet phenomenologies and quantum simulation algorithms, and lay the groundwork for future quantum applications.

Mots clés : quantum simulation, jet physics, quark gluon plasma, heavy ion collisions

Participants :
- Université de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet DynaCOMP (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Chemical separations are key processes in power plants and some industries like steel and iron manufacturing. To this end, energy-intensive thermal methods (e.g., distillation) are currently used making up the 45-55% of the overall industrial energy input. Hence, a transition from thermal to adsorbent-based gas separation is indispensable to address the EC objective to become Europe as the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. However, the low selectivity of the traditional porous materials currently used in industry (e.g., zeolites, carbons), make them unsuitable to meet this goal. Dynamic MOFs, a class of hybrid crystalline materials of recent development, show reversible framework rearrangements which may occur as a reaction to an external stimulus, make them unique for gas separation. They selectively adapt their pore structure to a specific gaseous component in a mixture, yielding exceptional selectivity, but lacking stability under industrial conditions. The project entitled “DynaCOMP: Flexible and switchable MOF-based composites for gas separation” aims to develop shaping strategies for dynamic MOFs towards their implementation in gas separations of industrial and environmental interest (e.g., CO2/CH4, CO2/N2, C2H2/C2H4), and to determine the impact on framework dynamicity after supporting. The project is pioneer in preparing microporous robust flexible-rigid composites of dynamic MOF thin layers supported on traditional materials, investigating their spatio-temporal phenomena. In addition, the activities described in this project will be my first steps as an independent, self-sufficient, interdisciplinar researcher; and the outcome of the overall fellowship will place me in the leading position on a new and exciting research field, with potential to tackle 21st century sustainability challenges. This fellowship includes a 3-month secondment at Karlsruhe Institute of technology (KIT) to prepare composites using advanced LPE techniques.

Mots clés : flexible mofs, mof based composites, gas separation

Participants :
- Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technologique de Dresde (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet INCLUDE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The discipline of physics has been grappling with the issue of gender imbalance for decades. The underrepresentation of women in physics profoundly affects the growth and future of the field by contributing to a loss of potential talent and deprives industry of the intellectual contribution of women with a physics background. Those women physicists who enter the workplace remain dramatically outnumbered especially within senior management. The persistence of this gender imbalance suggests that it is due to a combination of many factors, interacting dynamically in complex ways, necessitating holistic and integral solutions. Interventions, so far, have been generic and have focussed overwhelmingly on the micro-level (individual learner, teacher, employer, and family). The thesis of this project is that measures taken to increase representation will be effective only when they include addressing underlying hidden structures of the physics culture that contribute to the gender inequality. In order to unpack the factors that shape how physics engages with women, this work employs semi-structured, artefact-based ethnographic interviews of third-level students (physics and non-physics) and physics academic staff drawn from two institutions in culturally different environments. An interdisciplinary framework will be established to articulate structures, representations, policies and practices that contribute to the gender inequality in third-level physics education. The processes involved will identify the tangible structural changes that can be implemented. The outcomes of this work will empower physics departments internationally to move beyond generic strategies and to implement tailored action plans to address gender imbalance by on-going, collaborative self-reflexivity. These processes and outcomes are transferable to other underrepresented populations in STEM fields and careers, and hence carry academic and economic implications.

Mots clés : physics, women, gender, imbalance, inequality, stem, diversity, minority, underrepresented

Participants :
- University College Dublin (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 199694.4 €
- Université Miami (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet OSTEOCHON (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Damage to the osteochondral interface (OCI) is a serious health problem associated with the development of osteoarthritis affecting the lives of millions of people. However, current treatment tools have imitations leading to unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. This project aims to solve the problem by a complex approach combining and advancing recent findings in the field of tissue engineering (TE). It is accepted that patient cells can be seeded onto artificial scaffolds containing biologically active substances (BASs) to stimulate these cells to new tissue formation. We take the view that the scaffold should consist of a soft part and a sufficiently stiff part to avoid the formation of unwanted fibrocartilage. We will use cryogelation and 3D-printed bioactive glass to prepare multiphasic scaffolds that can carry regulatory signals for adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). Our research objectives are to develop 1) a stiff scaffold with a graded structure matching the morphology of the subchondral bone and able to be loaded by BASs to facilitate osteogenesis, 2) a soft scaffold based on a cryogel enriched by BASs to facilitate chondrogenesis, and 3) a combined scaffold matching the zonal structure of OCI to enhance its regeneration. 4) We will use ADSCs and modern ex vivo testing protocols to evaluate the potential of the scaffold to meet the needs of OCI TE, and to direct future research to in vivo testing and commercialization. The research will be conducted within the academic structures of the University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT) in Prague, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center in Vestec (BIOCEV) near Prague, under the supervision of Prof. Jan Merna and Prof. Bacakova.

Mots clés : bioglass, hydrogels

Participants :
- Institut de technologie chimique de Prague (Rép. Tchèque) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 150438.72 €
- Institute of Physiology (Rép. Tchèque) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet DETECT4WE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The EU wants to encourage train travel due to the current climate crisis and innovations to the railway system are necessary. Because trains run around the clock in 2–3-minute intervals, it is difficult to monitor the status or the conditions of a railway equipment efficiently without interrupting railway operation and it only reduces the likelihood of its failure. DETECT4WE will offer a novel solution to help keep infrastructure safe. In this project, the condition of the tracks and the in-service trains are continuously monitored by smart sensors and the collected measurement data and safety analysis of trains are processed in real time. Therefore, a highly detailed forecast is ensured. This approach promises cost savings for vehicle manufacturers because of relatively inexpensive instrumentation techniques and shared computer analysis systems. And because more timely and accurate accident prevention will be available, train travel will become safer, leading to zero fatalities.  The DETECT4WE project will be carried out by the experienced researcher who worked during her PhD thesis on the pure computational analysis of railway vehicle multibody dynamics and wanted to practice her research into applied railway engineering using experimental methods and make connections within railway industry. She will collaborate with Prof. José L. Escalona at University of Seville, Prof. Zili Li at Delft University of Technology. Both supervisors have strong background in computational and experimental dynamics of railway vehicles and tracks. In the end, a final six-months non-academic placement will be carried out at the company ProRail Ltd. under the supervision of Prof. Rolf Dollevoet. The academic and non-academic stay will give her the unique opportunity of modelling, experimentally testing, and validating innovative methods in the field of railway engineering, importantly extending her professional training towards becoming a self-supporting scientist.

Mots clés : railway vehicle dynamics, multibody system dynamics, state observation, condition monitoring, railway maintenance, safety of the train ride

Participants :
- Université de Séville (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206641.2 €
- Université de technologie de Delft (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Railinfratrust (Netherlands) (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet COCoVaQ (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

In today's highly interconnected world, secure communication between distant parties is paramount. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols, rooted in quantum mechanics, offer a promising solution to this challenge by ensuring the generation of secure keys with high data exchange rates. This project objectives seek to advance the state of secure data exchange by optimizing quantum state transmission within QKD protocols. Focusing on Continuous Variable QKD (CV-QKD), we aim to pioneer novel algorithms that not only bolster security but also enhance cryptographic system efficiency. By shaping constellations and fortifying security proofs, COCoVaQ provides imperative contributions for secure communication, safeguarding sensitive digital information. Currently, state-of-the-art CV-QKD protocols lack the sophisticated tools developed within the scope of optical communication systems, such as adaptive methods for optimal constellation optimization, which enable the transmission of secret keys at a high rate. Additionally, existing security analyses of CV QKD protocols with practical, discrete modulation often overlook critical symmetry aspects of the transmission algorithms that are imperative to establish security against arbitrary attacks. In response, our project endeavors to devise groundbreaking algorithms for constellation shaping and introduce symmetry properties to CV-QKD protocols employing discrete modulation with provable security. Notably, discrete modulation typically results in a substantial penalty on the resilience against attacks. With the aid of constellation optimization, this project aims at mitigating this penalty by between 10 and 20 orders of magnitude, ensuring a theoretically secure exchange of secret keys of high rate at long distances. Finally, COCoVaQ will showcase practical demonstrations of the entire system, bridging the gap between theory and real-world applications.

Mots clés : quantum key distribution

Participants :
- Université technique du Danemark (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230774.4 €
- Qti srl (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PHOTOELECTROART (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Singlet oxygen (SO) is one of the reactive oxygen species known for being a strong oxidant. There are materials, called SO generators, that produce SO under light exposure and in presence of oxygen. SO generators can be found even among the pigments used in historical paintings. SO has a huge impact in the preservation of these historical paintings since it reacts with the binding media and other artistic pigments causing degradation processes that compromises their integrity. The main goal of the PHOTOELECTROART project is to understand I) the photo-reactivity of artistic pigments that generate SO, II) the impact of the environment and microenvironment in the amount of SO emitted by these substances and III) how this can be applied to improve the preservation of historical paintings containing SO generator pigments. To achieve this, PHOTOELECTROART will exploit a highly interdisciplinary methodological process based on photo-electrochemistry and infrared spectroscopy, including IR nanospectroscopy. Results will have a major impact in the understanding of the role of the SO emitted by the pigments in the alterations of the historical paintings where these are found, providing a detailed knowledge of the degradation reactions throughout the painting’s history and helping to find suitable mitigation actions to preserve the cultural heritage. Additionally, the results will provide new information on the conditions that boost the generation of SO from those pigments: this new knowledge will contribute to the development of innovative applications in fields where a high production of SO is needed, such as treatment of wastewaters and medical therapies.

Mots clés : singlet oxygen, ftir spectroscopy, photo electrochemistry, synchrotron radiation, organic pigment

Participants :
- Université d'Anvers (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Ca' Foscari de Venise (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €
- Synchrotron SOLEIL (France) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €