Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ALifeInSOFCs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most promising technologies to produce electricity in a clean and efficient way. However, their practical application is still limited by detrimental degradation during operation as a consequence of convoluted chemical, mechanical and microstructural deterioration processes, occurring especially at the anode when hydrocarbon fuels are used. This project aims to assess the electrode microstructural degradation through a combined experimental/modelling approach consisting of accelerated ageing tests, impedance spectroscopy analysis, tomographic reconstruction of samples, particle-based algorithms and electrochemical model simulations. Infiltrated cermet anodes are considered in the study, due to their well-defined microstructure that allows them to be, at the same time, a good model platform to assess the microstructural evolution and a high performing alternative for SOFC applications. The synergic integration of experimental activities, microstructural characterization and model simulations is expected to identify and quantify the underlying mechanisms of microstructural degradation (e.g., particle coarsening and agglomeration) and to suggest strategies to enhance the durability of infiltrated electrodes (for example, by adding a controlled amount of ceramic nanoparticles to limit the coarsening of metallic particles within the electrode). The project, combining the researcher's expertise in microstructural and electrochemical modelling with the competences in testing and tomographic characterization at the host institution, is expected to be a pillar in the researcher's academic career while significantly contributing to boost the European excellence in a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary topic such as the fabrication and characterization of efficient and durable solid oxide fuel cells.

Mots clés : solid oxide fuel cell, degradation, microstructure, infiltration, tomographic reconstruction, packing algorithm

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet MatrixMacrophages (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Solid tumors consist of malignant cancer cells in constant interaction with the extracellular matrix and different types of non-malignant cells. Notably, these cells include macrophages which, during cancer progression, take part in an extensive degradation of the extracellular matrix. This process leads to destruction of the normal tissue and facilitates metastatic spread. It is now evident that tumor-infiltrating macrophages have a strong impact on cancer progression and this has led to the suggestion that therapeutic targeting of these cells could form the basis of a powerful new type of cancer treatment. However, there is a strong need for increased understanding of the function of these tumor-associated macrophages in order to optimize the development of such new therapy. Most importantly, different subtypes of macrophages exist, but how these subtypes affect cancer progression and whether they contribute to the cancer-associated extracellular matrix degradation is very incompletely understood. In this proposed project I aim to elucidate the exact role of different subtypes of macrophages for cancer progression and for the accompanying extracellular matrix degradation. By using several experimental state-of-the-art techniques, I will directly examine the effect of different subtypes of macrophages on cancer growth and invasion. These techniques include two-photon microscopy, flow cytometry based cell sorting, next-generation sequencing, cell biology assays, and mouse genetic engineering. In particular, I am currently developing transgenic mice that allow both the visualization of specific macrophage subsets using fluorescence microscopy and the specific depletion of these cell populations. When combined with tumor models, these mice will provide unique insight about the importance of the cell types in question. The study will add significantly to our knowledge about macrophages in cancer biology and aid in the development of new cancer therapy strategies.

Mots clés : tumor associated macrophages, matrix biology, mouse gene targeting, cancer stroma, cancer therapy

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €
Projet ROCHE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Solid-state batteries can surpass the current Li-ion technology in terms of energy density, battery safety, specific power, as well as fast-charging capability. According to H2020 Work programme, give support to the development of next-generation batteries is a high priority. For that, ROCHE project drives to novel cross-disciplinary approaches empowered by digital technologies that can accelerate research on the next generations of safe and high-performing batteries. In this context, the project presents three main goals: (a) to train the talented young researcher Dr. Manuel Salado, in the design, development and optimisation of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs); (b) to assemble those SSEs in a battery using a multilayer approach, and (c) to understand the role of interfaces in the ionic transport in order to unravel a possible kinetic mechanism in solid-state batteries. The combination of different materials together with theoretical calculations envisage not only improve the cutting-edge technology of solid-state energy storage obtain a fundamental understanding of the layered structures containing ionic conductors and IL-MOF related materials. During his short research career, the fellow has gained expertise in the fabrication of nanostructured materials, acquiring hands-on experience with both structural and optoelectronic characterization techniques. Nonetheless, to further boost his career, the fellow needs to broaden his knowledge in the field of energy-storage at Deakin University (DU), as well as to complement the already known characterization techniques with new ones present at Lusorecursos SA. The training program includes learning the use of in-situ characterization techniques and the introduction to simulation techniques in order to extract a kinetic mechanism in solid-state batteries. This project will also increase his supervision experience, project and intellectual property management expertise, and research funding and proposal writing skills

Mots clés : ionic liquids, metal organic framework, solid state batteries

Participants :
- Deakin University (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 269939.52 €
Projet PEDAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Some are now calling the data trails we leave on the internet the “new oil” as tech firms like Google and Facebook become rich extracting, refining and selling this 21st century resource. But this lucrative business model is now being challenged from two directions: (1) a new EU regulation starting in May 2018 which will return ownership of personal data to the user rather than the website (2) computer scientists are developing software for decoupling personal data from the websites used, enabling individuals to control and sell their own data. As the US tech firms now turn to the populous, young, tech-savvy emerging economies for their data, this research documents the effects of these developments in two countries with fast growing online populations: India and Indonesia. It is only by highlighting the repercussions of these changes for the countries with the largest reserves of this new resource that we can avoid a new wave of unequal exploitation – a digital colonialism. This research lays the foundations for a new theory of the international political economy of personal data. It will do so by charting the unintended consequences of the EU regulation on the negotiations between governments, civil society groups and tech firms in India and Indonesia. Will the European concept of “data portability” be adopted by these governments, enabling Asian internet users to gain a bigger share of the value that data generates? It will use a policy network analysis methodology with media research and interviews; evaluate a prototype personal data software for the Asian context; and seed the development of an international research network. By bringing together a researcher on Indonesian politics with mentors who can guide her on the technicalities of personal data software and Indian policy-making, it will not only provide timely input for European policy-makers, but will also produce a new kind of interdisciplinary researcher for the digital age.

Mots clés : india, indonesia, asia, personal data, data markets, data portability, eu policy on data ownership, digital economy, human centred computing, digital colonialism, political economy of data

Participants :
- University of Nottingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet Gal-HD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Some astrophysical mechanisms that are crucial for the evolution of our Galaxy, and of galaxies in general, like the assemblage of the Galactic halo, the spiral arms dynamics, and the star formation processes, are poorly understood. But this research field is on the verge of an important breakthrough thanks to the ESA Gaia mission that is gathering an unprecedented census of positions, distances, velocities and stellar properties for a billion stars. Now it is time that the European scientists exploit their output data. Our Galaxy at full High Definition (Gal-HD) is a project that will use the Gaia data releases and follow-up surveys to investigate key galaxy evolution processes. We will do this by detecting the signatures that they produce in the stellar phase-space of the Galaxy. Gal-HD will pioneer in: 1) the detection of Ultra Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the halo as probes for cosmological models, 2) the investigation of the large-scale kinematics of the disk and the nature of the spiral arms, 3) the study of the nearby kinematics as tracer of the local star formation. The project combines observational and theoretical astrophysics with data mining. The Experienced Researcher (ER) has deep expertise in Galactic dynamics, analysis of kinematic data and substructure detection tools. The Host Group is expert in Galactic astronomy, coordinates the development of the novel Gaia Archive and will train the ER on the Archive mining tools required. The strong preparation for the Gaia exploitation of the ER and the Host Group puts them in clear advantage to make a substantial contribution to the field and to be in the front lead of the Gaia science. This research will bring the ER closer to her long-term career goals of being a consolidated leading researcher. Gal-HD will also participate in preserving the European leadership in Galactic astronomy and space astrometry, and contribute to the Gaia scientific harvest that Europe has planned and invested for.

Mots clés : gaia mission, the galaxy  formation, dynamics, halo, dwarfs, disk, spiral arms, lambda cdm model, stars  kinematics, associations, formation, data analysis and data mining, astronomical databases

Participants :
- University of Barcelona (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet BISEM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Some herbivores can sequester and use plant secondary metabolites for their own defense. Despite many examples of sequestration, the impact of these compounds on herbivore performance and natural enemy resistance in still not well understood, especially for root herbivores. The objective of this project is to investigate the biological relevance of benzoxazinoid N-glycosylation by the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, one of the main pests of maize that sequesters benzoxazinoids from maize roots. To reach this aim, the project will combine mass spectrometry imaging with environmental RNAi and ecological assays to understand how the formation of N-glycosylated benzoxazinoids affects herbivore performance and resistance to entomopathogenic nematodes. This will be the first study to investigate the relevance of secondary metabolite sequestration in a root pest through molecular manipulation. This project will shed light on the importance of plant defense sequestration for root-feeding insects, for plant-insect interactions and for crop protection.

Mots clés : plant herbivore interactions, western corn rootworm, maize, sequestration of plant secondary metabolites

Participants :
- University of Bern (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203149.44 €
Projet PhySound (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Sound is as important as visuals in modern media (lms, video-games). Yet, little effort has been devoted to the rendering of sound from digital environments, compared to the phenomenal advances of visual rendering. Virtual scenes are sonied through the ad-hoc edition of recorded sounds and their manual synchronization with the visuals, yielding limited and repetitive sounds. This proposal addresses this problem by generating sounds from virtual environments through physically based simulation, and focuses on a challenging family of objects: thin shells. Characteristic thin shell sounds include tearing cloth and paper, crushing cans and plastic bottles, and crumpling a piece of paper and a plastic bag. Sound synthesis of thin-shell sound will be addressed through a set of modeling techniques (model reduction, high frequency bandwidth extension and precomputed sound databases), while real-time constrains will be addressed using data-driven approaches. This project will considerably widen the number of real life object sounds that can be digitally generated, and will contribute to the young research eld of physically based sound rendering, which has the potential of becoming the next key technology of the media industry. The expertise of Columbia University in thin shells and sound rendering, complemented by the expertise of Inria in real-time sound rendering provide the optimal setting for the success of this fellowship. In addition, the researcher will receive training through research and on complementary skills, including student tutoring, teaching, dissemination, and project management. Industry-related skills, such as technology transfer, research-to-product techniques and standardization will be trained through a secondment in the industrial sector at AudioGaming. This Action will allow the researcher to become a mature and independent, and to obtain a long term research position in Europe as a world leader in physically based sound rendering.

Mots clés : physically based simulation, sound rendering

Participants :
- Columbia University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 221635.8 €
Projet Sound-Frameworks (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Sound-Frameworks is an action-led research project that explores the role of sound in urban design and city planning. Through this fellowship, the experienced researcher Sven Anderson will work within Theatrum Mundi, a non-profit organisation that expands the craft of city-making through collaboration with artists, alongside a supervisory team led by Dr. John Bingham-Hall. Based in London, he will extend his experience in artistic, practice-led research by addressing the question: What tools do interdisciplinary design teams require in order to integrate considerations of sound within the design of the public realm? Central to this fellowship is a focus on urban sonic experience as a driver for design in the public realm. The public realm constitutes the integral connective tissue that defines the contemporary cityscape, within which different individuals, communities and institutions engage with each other through cooperation and conflict. Sound has remained a neglected dimension of this domain, generally coming into consideration only within late stages of design through efforts to ameliorate the impact of environmental noise. As the densification of urban territories accelerates, the role of sonic experience as an essential factor to be addressed by urban designers must be reassessed. Sound-Frameworks will explore new methodologies for integrating sound in urban design through the production of three inter-related, open-access resources: 1. A sound in practice survey 2. A publication on best practice guidelines in this field 3. An online tool to guide the integration of sound in the design of the public realm Drawing from environmental acoustics, spatial planning and contemporary sound studies, the fellowship will develop a framework to extend regional, national and international objectives for integrated city planning and contribute to public realm initiatives in Europe and beyond.

Mots clés : urban sound design, acoustic planning, soundscaping, placemaking, public realm regeneration

Participants :
- Theatrum mundi (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Autres, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet FEPS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

South America (SA) contains Earth’s highest mammalian species richness, but this richness was exponentially higher just 10k years ago, prior to the last ice age extinction that eliminated more than 80% of mammals in the continent. With only two living genera restricted to tree-dwelling in rainforests, sloths once were a dominant group within SA mammalian ecosystems. Fossil sloths are generally considered plant eaters, like their modern relatives, but their extremely high diversity (in terms of body mass [4-4000 kg], geographical distribution [Patagonia to Alaska], habitats [coast, mountains, rainforest] and inferred locomotion [terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal, semiaquatic]) suggests that these were ecologically more versatile than traditionally thought. The primary goal of this project is to determine the dietary composition of fossil sloths assessing evidence for carnivory and the consumption of proteins of animal origin by means of amino acid compound specific isotope analyses, as suggested by our preliminary results. Since xenarthrans (the mammal group including sloths, armadillos, and anteaters) represented 1/3 of overall species diversity in South American mammal communities until as recently as 10,000 years ago, a discovery that fossil sloths possessed ecologies differing from those traditionally attributed to them could radically alter understanding of the entire community structure of terrestrial fossil mammals on the continent through time. Stable isotope analyses represent powerful, morphology-independent tools to directly reconstruct animal ecologies, and to test this controversial hypothesis of carnivory. To confidently apply this technique, however, several underlying assumptions first need to be tested on modern sloths and other mammals. Thus, the study will also test key assumptions inherent within isotopic trophic studies, and thus it is broadly relevant to our understanding of the isotopic signals preserved in other fossil species and ecosystems.

Mots clés : palaeoecology, feeding ecology, stable isotopes, mammals, south america, sloths

Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet ADAPTOMICS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Species which inhabit the Antarctic have evolved to exist in some of the most challenging conditions found anywhere on the planet. Marine creatures must cope with sea temperatures generally ranging between 0 to -1.8 degrees Celsius and a food supply which fluctuates widely from summer to winter, rendering their survival difficult. Nevertheless, species have found the means to thrive in such conditions. Their adaptation to cold environments will have included a host of genetic changes, and to date we still know little about the nature of these molecular adaptations, the way these act in vivo, and the exact benefits such changes confer. I aim to investigate the molecular differences between congeneric species of sponge adapted to vastly differing thermal environments and find the means by which these species adapt to cold conditions. This will be approached in several ways, starting with transcriptomic sequencing of six species of sponges of genera Axinella, Mycale and Phorbas. These are abundant in the Antarctic, Caribbean and Mediterranean seas, and play essential roles in the benthic ecosystems in which they are found. Transcriptomic analyses will be supplemented by genomic sequencing, RNA in situ hybridization, molecular ecological and functional approaches. This will allow me multiple means of assaying the molecular and population-level diversity of these sponges, and, specifically, how they have evolved to live in such cold environments. More broadly, these findings will allow us to begin to determine whether the same adaptive molecular mechanisms to extreme cold are used repeatedly across sponge and animal phylogeny. Any evidence of convergent evolution to extreme cold will suggest constraints on the means of adaptation. Similarly, novel molecular changes would be of great interest to a wide variety of fields. Our findings will therefore add substantially to a nascent area of enquiry, and provide a firm basis for future work both in these species and beyond.

Mots clés : porifera, temperature, climate, genomics, evolution

Participants :
- Natural History Museum (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 195454.8 €